Significance of the T2*-weighted gradient echo brain imaging in patients with infective endocarditis.
BACKGROUND
Although aneurysm formation accompanying parenchymal hemorrhage is one of devastating complications in the central nerves system (CNS), imaging studies of the brain are not routinely warranted in patients with infective endocarditis (IE). To assess the clinical importance for detecting silent lesions in the central nervous system, we investigated hypointense signal spots detected on the brain T2*-weighted MR imaging in patients with IE.


RESULTS
Eleven patients with IE were retrospectively reviewed. Seven patients (63.6%) showed hypointense signal spots on T2*-weighted MR images. The number of hypointense signal spots increased within only a few weeks in five patients.


CONCLUSIONS
The brain T2*-weighted MR imaging in patients with IE may have a potential role to detect CNS lesions with clinical significance of potentially high risk of intracranial hemorrhage. T2*-weighted hypointense signal spots may be specific to brain involvement, and be quite useful in monitoring CNS lesions associated with IE, even if they are asymptomatic.
Morofuji
Yoichi
Y
Department of Neurosurgery, Nagasaki University School of Medicine, 1-7-1 Sakamoto, Nagasaki, Japan.
Morikawa
Minoru
M
Yohei
Tateishi
T
Kitagawa
Naoki
N
Hayashi
Kentaro
K
Takeshita
Tomonori
T
Suyama
Kazuhiko
K
Nagata
Izumi
I
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001921:Brain / Q000503:physiopathology*; D017352:Echo-Planar Imaging / Q000295:instrumentation*; D004696:Endocarditis / Q000150:complications*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020300:Intracranial Hemorrhages / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D055815:Young Adult