title: Value of CT angiography for the detection of intracranial vascular lesions in patients with acute severe headache.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To retrospectively investigate the prevalence and characteristics of intracranial vascular lesions in patients with acute severe headache with the use of CT angiography (CTA).
  
  
  METHODS
  We systematically searched for neurologically intact patients with acute severe headache and normal unenhanced head CT. The study group consisted of 512 patients; 251 male; mean age 46.2 ± 12.4 years. All patients underwent CTA between 1 day and 2 months after the headache attack. CTA images were interpreted by two experienced neuroradiologists for the presence of vascular lesions.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Thirty-four (6.6 %) of the 512 patients had intracranial vascular lesions on CTA, including 33 aneurysms (2 patients had 2 aneurysms each), 2 moyamoya disease and 1 arterial dissection. No gender- or age-related differences were found. Aneurysms arose most commonly on the internal carotid artery (n = 12), followed by the anterior communicating artery (n = 7), and the middle cerebral artery (n = 7). Maximal diameters ranged from 2.0 to 13.1 mm (mean, 3.9 ± 2.6 mm).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  CTA is a feasible tool for diagnosing intracranial vascular lesions in patients with acute severe headache. The prevalence of vascular lesions in our series was 6.6 %, which is higher than that predicted in the general population.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  • Unruptured cerebral aneurysms may be a cause of acute severe headache • CTA assesses intracranial vascular lesions in patients with acute severe headache • The prevalence of vascular lesions in our series of patients was 6.6 %
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Kangdong Seong-Sim Hospital, Hallym University College of Medicine, 445 Gil-dong Kangdong-Gu, Seoul 134-701, Korea.
authors.forename: Ari
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Dae Young
authors.initials: DY
authors.lastname: Yoon
authors.forename: Eun Soo
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Heung Cheol
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Byung-Moon
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.forename: Jong Young
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000784:Aortic Dissection / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D015901:Angiography, Digital Subtraction / Q000379:methods; D002343:Carotid Artery, Internal / Q000473:pathology; D002533:Cerebral Angiography / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006261:Headache / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D002532:Intracranial Aneurysm / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020768:Middle Cerebral Artery / Q000473:pathology; D009072:Moyamoya Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods*; D055815:Young Adult