Stručni rad

Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Magnetic Resonance Angiography in the Management of Patients with Ischemic Stroke in Vertebrobasilar Circulation

Martina Špero
Miljenko Kalousek
Josip Hat
Darko Bedek
Miljenko Marotti

Sažetak

Vertebrobasilar occlusion is a life-threatening event that requires prompt diagnostic evaluation and subsequent therapy. Advanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) methods, including diffusion-weighted imaging and magnetic resonance angiography (MRA), are highly sensitive for the detection of ischemic tissue injury, and for the detection and localization of intracranial arterial occlusion and stenosis. In the era of thrombolytic therapy, MRI and MRA provide useful information for therapeutic decision making in the early stage of stroke evaluation. This retrospective review included patients with posterior circulation symptomatology examined at our Department between July 2002 and January 2005, 8 female and 11 male, mean age 54.9 years. The aim was to present the possibilities of MRI and MRA in the management of patients with ischemic stroke in posterior circulation. In 19 patients with an ischemia in the vertebrobasilar circulation detected by MRI of the brain, MRA identified 8 cases of basilar artery occlusion, 4 cases of basilar artery stenosis, 3 cases of multiple atherosclerotic stenoses of the vertebral arteries with 2 cases of concurrent vertebral artery occlusion, 2 cases of vasculitis in the posterior circulation, 1 case of proximal posterior cerebral artery occlusion, and 1 case of posterior cerebral artery stenosis. In 8 patients with basilar artery occlusion, the site of occlusion was proximal in 3 cases, proximal and middle in 2 cases, middle and distal in 2 cases, and distal in 1 case. MRI is a powerful tool to detect ischemic changes in stroke immediately upon stroke onset, while MRA is highly sensitive for the detection of occlusive disease in large intracranial arteries as well as in posterior circulation. In the acute stroke setting, MRI and MRA are useful for: 1) early and reliable identification of ischemic stroke; 2) improved choice of treatment modality by helping exclude from thrombolysis patients at high risk of hemorrhage and by identifying those patients most likely to benefit from it; 3) pinpoint the vascular origin of ischemic stroke; 4) determination of neurologic consequences of stroke, including final infarct size, clinical outcome and hemorrhagic risk.

Ključne riječi

Cerebrovascular accident - diagnosis; Cerebrovascular circulation - diagnosis; Cerebral arteries - pathology; Ischemic attack - diagnosis; Magnetic resonance imaging - methods; Magnetic resonance angiography

Hrčak ID:

14269

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/14269

Datum izdavanja:

1.9.2005.

Podaci na drugim jezicima: hrvatski

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