Intracranial vessel wall imaging for evaluation of steno-occlusive diseases and intracranial aneurysms.
Cerebrovascular diseases have traditionally been classified, diagnosed and managed based on their luminal characteristics. However, over the past several years, several advancements in MRI techniques have ushered in high-resolution vessel wall imaging (HR-VWI), enabling evaluation of intracranial vessel wall pathology. These advancements now allow us to differentiate diseases which have a common angiographic appearance but vastly different natural histories (i.e. moyamoya versus atherosclerosis, reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome versus vasculitis, stable versus unstable intracranial aneurysms). In this review, we detail the anatomical, histopathological and imaging characteristics of various intracranial steno-occlusive diseases and types of intracranial aneurysms and describe the role that HR-VWI can play in diagnosis, risk stratification and treatment.
Department of Radiology, Mayo Clinic, 200, 1st street SW, Rochester, MN 55905, United States. Electronic address: brinjikji.waleed@mayo.edu.
Waleed
W
Brinjikji
Department of Radiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States.
Mahmud
M
Mossa-Basha
Department of Radiology, Mayo Clinic, 200, 1st street SW, Rochester, MN 55905, United States.
John
J
Huston
Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, United States.
Alejandro A
AA
Rabinstein
Department of Neurosurgery, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, United States.
Giuseppe
G
Lanzino
Department of Radiology, Mayo Clinic, 200, 1st street SW, Rochester, MN 55905, United States.
Vance T
VT
Lehman
D000328:Adult; D002533:Cerebral Angiography / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D002532:Intracranial Aneurysm / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D020765:Intracranial Arterial Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
Aneurysm; MRI; Stenosis; Vessel wall imaging