Intracranial Posterior Circulation Large Artery Thrombi Visualized Using Susceptibility-Weighted MRI.
To identify thrombi in patients with posterior circulation large artery occlusion using susceptibility-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).



All patients hospitalized with intracranial posterior circulation occlusion from January 2003 to September 2013 were included. MRI and computed tomography angiography were reviewed to determine the presence of arterial occlusion and identify thrombi. Eighty-one patients were analyzed to investigate susceptibility vessel sign (SVS) that was identified as blooming artifact (BA) on T2*-weighted gradient echo imaging.



We identified 21 of 63 (33.3%) patients with BA in symptomatic patients, and 1 of 18 (5.6%) in the asymptomatic group with significant difference (P = .019). BAs were found in 6 of 10 (60.0%) patients with cardioembolism, 5 of 13 (38.5%) with dissection, 9 of 34 (26.5%) with large artery atherosclerotic disease, and 1 of 6 (16.7%) with undetermined cause.



Identifying SVS may be useful in exploring the fresh thrombi and the mechanism of posterior circulation stroke.
Department of Neurology, The affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, Shandong, China.
Naidong
N
Wang
Department of Neurology, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
Qimin
Q
Hu
Department of Neurology, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.|Department of Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, 330 Brookline Avenue, Boston, MA.
Qiaoshu
Q
Wang
Department of Radiology, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
Jinglong
J
Zhao
Department of Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, 330 Brookline Avenue, Boston, MA.
Nikita
N
Dedhia
Department of Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, 330 Brookline Avenue, Boston, MA.
Louis R
LR
Caplan
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001157:Arterial Occlusive Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D001158:Arteries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D002533:Cerebral Angiography / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020767:Intracranial Thrombosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies
acute ischemic stroke; magnetic resonance imaging (MRI); posterior circulation; susceptibility vessel sign (SVS); thrombus