title: Susceptibility-Weighted Imaging for Detection of Thrombus in Acute Cardioembolic Stroke.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI) can show an intravascular thrombus as a hypointense susceptibility vessel sign (SVS). In this study, we investigated the usefulness of SWI in the detection of an intravascular thrombus in acute cardioembolic stroke by comparing the SVS on SWI to the vessel status on time-of-flight magnetic resonance angiography (MRA).
  
  
  METHODS
  We consecutively enrolled patients with cardioembolic stroke in the anterior circulation within 3 days from stroke onset. The frequency and location of the SVS on SWI were compared with those of occlusion on MRA.
  
  
  RESULTS
  One hundred and twenty-two patients were conclusively enrolled in this study. The SVS was observed in 75.4% (92/122) of the enrolled patients. MRA showed occlusion in 57% (70/122) of the enrolled patients. The SVS was identified in all 70 patients with occlusion on MRA. The SVS was observed in 22 (42.3%) of 52 patients without occlusion on MRA (P<0.001), which was identified mainly in post-bifurcation segments of the middle cerebral artery: the M2 segment in 4 patients, M3 segment in 10 patients, M4 segment in 4 patients, A3 segment in 1 patient, and multiple segments in 2 patients. The mean length of the SVS in the M1 segment was 13.65 mm (median: 12.39 mm, length range: 2.70-39.50 mm).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  SWI can provide useful information about the thrombus location, the presence of a single thrombus or multiple thrombi especially in distal intracranial arteries, and the thrombus burden, all in acute cardioembolic stroke.
authors: Department of Neurology, Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital, Pusan National University School of Medicine, Research Institute for Convergence of Biomedical Science and Technology, Yangsan, Korea.
authors: Min-Gyu
authors: MG
authors: Park
authors: Department of Neurology, Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital, Pusan National University School of Medicine, Research Institute for Convergence of Biomedical Science and Technology, Yangsan, Korea.
authors: Se-Jin
authors: SJ
authors: Oh
authors: Department of Radiology, Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital, Pusan National University School of Medicine, Yangsan, Korea.
authors: Seung Kug
authors: SK
authors: Baik
authors: Department of Neurology, Pusan National University Hospital, Pusan National University School of Medicine, Busan, Korea.
authors: Dae Soo
authors: DS
authors: Jung
authors: Department of Neurology, Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital, Pusan National University School of Medicine, Research Institute for Convergence of Biomedical Science and Technology, Yangsan, Korea.
authors: Kyung-Pil
authors: KP
authors: Park
keywords: Acute stroke; Diagnosis; Magnetic resonance angiography; Magnetic resonance imaging