Assessment of lacunar hemorrhage associated with hypertensive stroke by echo-planar gradient-echo T2*-weighted MRI.
OBJECTIVE
Echo-planar gradient-echo T2*-weighted MR imaging (GRE-EPI) may detect hypointense lesions representing microhemorrhages with high sensitivity. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of GRE-EPI for detecting old lacunar hemorrhages in hypertensive patients with stroke.


METHODS
GRE-EPI was performed with a 1.5-T MRI system in 198 hypertensive patients with stroke (130 patients with hemorrhagic stroke and 68 patients with multiple lacunar stroke) and 66 age-matched healthy elderly individuals.


RESULTS
Concomitant hypointense foci were found in 84 (66%) patients with hemorrhagic stroke, 46 (68%) patients with multiple lacunar stroke, and 3 (5%) healthy elderly individuals. These hypointense foci were noted in the lentiform nucleus in 61 (47%) patients with hemorrhagic stroke, in the caudate nucleus in 9 (7%) patients, in the thalamus in 54 (42%) patients, in the corticosubcortical region in 57 (44%) patients, in the brain stem in 40 (34%) patients, and in the cerebellum in 32 (25%) patients.


CONCLUSIONS
GRE-EPI is effective for the detection of lacunar hemorrhages induced by hypertension.
Kinoshita
T
T
Department of Radiology, Research Institute of Brain and Blood Vessels-Akita, Akita, Japan. kino2grape.med.tottori-u.ac.jp
Okudera
T
T
Tamura
H
H
Ogawa
T
T
Hatazawa
J
J
D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002908:Chronic Disease; D017352:Echo-Planar Imaging; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000175:diagnosis*; D020300:Intracranial Hemorrhages / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020521:Stroke / Q000175:diagnosis*