title: Asymmetric dilatation of virchow-robin space in unilateral internal carotid artery steno-occlusive disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The cause of abnormal Virchow-Robin space (VRS) dilatation is still unclear. The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that chronic ischemia from the unilateral significant internal carotid artery (ICA) stenosis is related to asymmetric VRS dilatation.
  
  
  METHODS
  We recruited 78 patients with severe unilateral ICA stenosis (>70%) diagnosed by magnetic resonance angiography, computed tomography angiography, or digital subtraction angiography and retrospectively reviewed 3-T brain magnetic resonance images. All VRSs on bilateral cerebral high-convexity areas were scaled into 4 grades. We analyzed the difference of VRS grades between bilateral hemispheres and the correlation between VRS grade and severity of ICA stenosis and the patient's age.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The VRS grades on the ipsilateral hemisphere were higher than those on the contralateral and were positively correlated with the degree of ICA stenosis. The bilateral VRS grades and the patients' ages were positively correlated.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results suggest that severe ICA steno-occlusive disease would be related with abnormal VRS dilatation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Gangnam Severance Hospital, 146-92 Dogok-Dong, Gangnam-Gu, Seoul 135-720, Korea.
authors.forename: Ah Young
authors.initials: AY
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Tae-Sub
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.forename: Sang Hyun
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Suh
authors.forename: Hyun Seok
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Yun Hee
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001479:Basal Ganglia / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology*; D016893:Carotid Stenosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology*; D004108:Dilatation, Pathologic / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed