title: [In vivo high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging in severe intracranial stenosis].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the feasibility and clinical value of high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (HRMRI) in patients with symptomatic severe intracranial stenosis (SSIS).
  
  
  METHODS
  HRMRI wasperformed with a 3.0 T MR scanner on 5 patients with symptomatic middle cerebral (n = 3) or basilar (n = 2) arterial stenosis of > or = 70% confirmed by DSA. Image diagnosis was made on the basis of HRMRI findings of vessel wall at the stenotic segment by 2 neuroradiologists blinded to patient's status.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Three of the five patients were diagnosed to have advanced intracranial atherosclerosis based on the presence of a complex eccentric atherosclerotic plaque containing a large lipid-rich necrotic core with a heterogeneous post-contrast enhancement and with signs of ruptured fibrous cap. Two other patients were likely to suffer from non-atherosclerotic lesion. HRMRI revealed an iso-signal septum in the arterial lumen attaching to the slightly thickened arterial wall that was iso-signal with a homogeneous post-contrast enhancement in one patient and an obviously concentrically thickened arterial wall with hypo-intense signal on T1WI and slightly high signal on T2WI and PDWI and without any post-contrast enhancement in the remaining patient.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In vivo HRMRI in patients with SSIS is technically feasible. It provides detailed information of intracranial arterial wall at the stenotic segment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Interventional Neuroradiology, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, the Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Lou
authors.forename: Wei-Jian
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: Lin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Bin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Du
authors.forename: Ning
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Feng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gao
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001157:Arterial Occlusive Diseases / Q000473:pathology; D001488:Basilar Artery / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020768:Middle Cerebral Artery / Q000473:pathology; D014715:Vertebrobasilar Insufficiency / Q000473:pathology*