Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging is considered the gold standard for non-invasive evaluation of carotid artery plaque morphology and composition. A number of studies have demonstrated the clinical utility of MR plaque imaging in the risk stratification of carotid atherosclerotic disease, determination of stroke etiology, and identification of surgical and endovascular candidates for carotid revascularization

Background and Purpose Radial artery access has become the standard of care in percutaneous coronary procedures due to demonstrated patient safety and comfort benefits; however, uptake of radial access for diagnostic cerebral angiography has been limited by practitioner concerns over the ability to achieve procedural success. We aimed to provide randomized clinical trial evidence for the non-inferiority

Purpose Despite advancement in mechanical thrombectomy (MT) techniques, 10–30% of MT for large vessel occlusions (LVO) are unsuccessful. Current prediction models fail to address the association between patient-specific factors and reperfusion. We aimed to evaluate objective, easily reproducible, admission clinical and radiological biomarkers that predict unsuccessful MT. Methods We analyzed consecutive

Purpose The aim of this study was to analyze sex differences in outcome after thrombectomy for acute ischemic stroke in clinical practice in a large prospective multicenter registry. Methods Data of consecutive stroke patients treated with thrombectomy (June 2015–April 2018) derived from an industry-independent registry (German Stroke Registry–Endovascular Treatment) were prospectively analyzed. Multivariable

Purpose Intracranial lateral dural arteriovenous fistula (LDAVF) represents a specific subtype of cerebrovascular fistulae, harboring a potentially life-threatening risk of brain hemorrhage. Fluoroscopically guided endovascular embolization is the therapeutic gold standard. We provide detailed dosimetry data to suggest novel diagnostic reference levels (DRL). Methods Retrospective single-center study

Purpose Intracranial carotid artery occlusion represents an underinvestigated cause of acute ischemic stroke as well as an indication for mechanical thrombectomy. We investigated baseline and procedural characteristics, outcomes and predictors of outcome in patients with acute ischemic stroke secondary to intracranial carotid artery occlusion. Methods A retrospective analysis of the Italian Registry

Objective The Neuroform Atlas (Stryker Neurovascular, Fremont, CA, USA) is a low-profile laser cut self-expanding nitinol stent designed to provide coil support and wall apposition during aneurysm embolisation. In this study, we performed a meta-analysis of outcomes after treatment with the Neuroform Atlas stent for the purpose of coil embolisation. Methods The primary objectives of this meta-analysis

Purpose The anterior perforating arteries are a group of arteries that enter the brain through the anterior perforated substance (APS). Because the lenticulostriate artery, the recurrent artery of Heubner (RAH) and the perforators from A1 of anterior cerebral artery (ACA) penetrate the APS and supply the basal ganglia, these arteries can be considered as having a common embryological origin. Results

Purpose T2-weighted signal hyperintensities in white matter (WM) are a diagnostic finding in brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of patients with metachromatic leukodystrophy (MLD). In our systematic investigation of the evolution of T2-hyperintensities in patients with the late-infantile form, we describe and characterize T2-pseudonormalization in the advanced stage of the natural disease course

Purpose Use of automated perfusion software has gained importance for imaging of stroke patients for mechanical thrombectomy (MT). We aim to compare four perfusion software packages: 1) with respect to their association with 3‑month functional outcome after successful reperfusion with MT in comparison to visual Cerebral Blood Volume - Alberta Stroke Program Early CT Score (CBV-ASPECTS) and collateral

Background and Purpose The principle of flow diversion has revolutionized the treatment of brain aneurysms. In this study, we report our experience of the new Surpass Evolve (SE) flow diverter in the treatment of intracranial aneurysms. Material and Methods Patients were treated with the SE as first-line therapy between May 2019 and June 2020 at 2 experienced institutions. Inclusion criteria were wide-necked

Purpose An unfavorable vertebral artery (VA) anatomy occasionally inhibits a successful VA cannulation due to flow stagnation after catheterization. To preserve antegrade VA flow, we developed bilateral transradial catheter systems, referred to as the role-sharing technique, for coil embolization of basilar artery (BA) aneurysms associated with an unfavorable VA anatomy. This study aimed to evaluate

Purpose Little is known about catheter-based endovascular treatment of vertebrobasilar artery branch occlusion (VEBABO) in acute ischemic stroke (AIS). Nonetheless, the experience of mechanical thrombectomy (MT) in distal small sized arteries of the anterior circulation seems promising in AIS. In this multicenter study, we report the feasibility, efficacy and safety of MT in VEBABO. Methods Retrospective

Purpose We hypothesized that epilepsy associated with temporal pole encephaloceles (ETPE) could be the consequence and an unrecognized manifestation of idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH). To test this hypothesis in patients with ETPEs we evaluated: 1) the frequency of two radiological signs of IIH and 2) whether these patients develop over time clinical manifestations suggestive of elevated

Purpose To evaluate a novel flow-independent 3D isotropic REACT sequence compared with CE-MRA for the imaging of extracranial arteries in acute ischemic stroke (AIS). Methods This was a retrospective study of 35 patients who underwent a stroke protocol at 3 T including REACT (fixed scan time: 2:46 min) and CE-MRA of the extracranial arteries. Three radiologists evaluated scans regarding vessel delineation

Purpose To explore changes in functional connectivity (FC) within the sensorimotor network (SMN) and the relationship between the SMN and bilateral thalamus in patients with thalamic infarction (TI) using resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI). Also determined was whether those measures are useful for monitoring the functional recovery of somatosensory deficits. Methods The study

Background For patients with acute vessel occlusions of the anterior circulation histopathology of retrieved cerebral thrombi has been reported to be associated to stroke etiology. Due to the relatively small incidence of posterior circulation stroke, exclusive histopathologic analyses are missing for this subgroup. The aim of the study was to investigate thrombus histology for patients with basilar

Purpose Migraine with aura (MwA) in the emergency setting is common and sometimes difficult to distinguish from mimicking conditions. Susceptibility weighted imaging (SWI), a magnet resonance (MR) technique is sensitive to deoxygenated hemoglobin in cerebral veins and depicts these according to their level of oxygenation. Our study aimed at evaluating the frequency of regions of prominent focal veins

Purpose Thrombus features on admission CT are useful imaging markers for clot characterization, stroke pathogenesis and outcome prediction. In this context, thrombus perviousness is a promising parameter, but reliable assessment in daily clinical practice is demanding. The aim of the present study was to evaluate an easy to assess measuring method for thrombus permeability at the time of admission

Background Multiphase CTA (mCTA) is an established tool for endovascular treatment decision-making and outcome prediction in acute ischemic stroke, but its interpretation requires some degree of experience. We aimed to determine whether mCTA-based prediction of clinical outcome and final infarct volume can be improved by assessing collateral status on time-variant mCTA color maps rather than using

Purpose The anatomy of the circle of Willis (CoW), the brain’s main arterial blood supply system, strongly differs between individuals, resulting in highly variable flow fields and intracranial vascularization patterns. To predict subject-specific hemodynamics with high certainty, we propose a data assimilation (DA) approach that merges fully 4D phase-contrast magnetic resonance imaging (PC-MRI) data

Purpose Data in the literature suggest that thrombectomy with emergency carotid artery stenting (CAS) in acute stroke is associated with an increased hemorrhage rate. As we perform thrombectomy with the patient under general anesthesia, we avoid emergency CAS and perform emergency carotid endarterectomy (CEA) as an alternative to CAS in the same anesthesia session in our angiography suite whenever

Purpose To evaluate diffusion abnormalities of the retina and optic nerve in patients with central retinal artery occlusion (CRAO) using standard stroke diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DWI). Methods In this case-control study, DWI scans of patients with nonarteritic CRAO were retrospectively assessed for acute ischemia of the retina and optic nerve. Two neuroradiologists, blinded for

Purpose Computed tomography angiography (CTA) is routinely used to detect large-vessel occlusion (LVO) in patients with suspected acute ischemic stroke; however, visual analysis is time consuming and prone to error. To evaluate solutions to support imaging triage, we tested performance of automated analysis of CTA source images (CTASI) at identifying patients with LVO. Methods Stroke patients with

Background and Purpose To determine reasons for failed recanalization in mechanical thrombectomy (MT) of the posterior circulation. Methods Retrospective single center analysis of reasons for MT failure in the posterior circulation. Failed MTs were categorized according to the reason for procedure failure in failed vascular access, failed passage of the target vessel occlusion and MT failure after

Background The concept of intrasaccular flow diversion using the Woven EndoBridge (WEB) device changed the traditional endovascular concept for wide-necked bifurcation aneurysms. The latest technical advancement resulted in the WEB 17 system, a softer device composed of fewer wires which enables treatment of smaller more distally located aneurysms by using smaller microcatheters as compared to the

Purpose Occlusion or significant stenosis of the internal carotid artery (ICA) in the cervical segment is commonly associated with a poststenotic decrease in the downstream blood flow and perfusion. Fluid attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) vascular hyperintensities (FVH) are a phenomenon that represents slow arterial blood flow. In this study, we investigated the frequency and extent of FVH in the

Background Spinal imaging is essential to identify and localize cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leaks in spontaneous intracranial hypotension (SIH) patients when targeted treatment is necessary. Purpose Provide an in-depth presentation of the conventional dynamic myelography (CDM) technique for localizing spinal CSF leaks in SIH patients. Material and Methods Consecutive SIH patients with a CSF leak confirmed

Purpose Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) accounts for up to 20% of all strokes, and there is a high rate of associated morbidity and mortality. Computed tomography (CT) findings, such as a spot sign have been shown to be an independent predictor of poor outcome. We have recently encountered a succession of ICH patients who presented with a peculiar imaging finding, which we term the spot on a string

Purpose Both CT myelogram (CTM) and digital-subtraction myelogram (DSM) can be used to evaluate patients for possible cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leaks. DSM is a relatively new technique. No data exists on the radiation dose associated with this procedure, and how it compares with CTM. Materials and Methods All patients who underwent DSM for spontaneous intracranial hypotension (SIH) refractory to blood

Purpose This study was carried out to evaluate the utility of susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI) in demonstrating retinal hemorrhages (RH) in pediatric head trauma. Methods Over a period of 7 years 67 children (age 0–4 years) with head trauma and MRI were included as either abusive head trauma (AHT) (n = 23), non-abusive head trauma (NAHT) (n = 38), or indeterminate (n = 6). Two pediatric neuroradiologists

Objective The aim of this trial was to compare the efficacy of closed-cell stents with Casper stents during carotid angioplasty stenting (CAS). Methods This was a randomized superiority trial in which 88 patients were enrolled. The primary end points were the incidence, number, and size of new ischemic brain lesions after CAS under distal embolic protection devices (EPD). The secondary end points included

Purpose Endovascular reperfusion therapy (ERT) in patients with intracranial atherosclerosis (ICAS)-related acute large vessel occlusion (ALVO) may require different strategies based on the underlying culprit plaque lesion. This study investigated the effectiveness and safety of direct stent placement in ICAS-related ALVO compared with initially attempted mechanical thrombectomy (MT) with or without

Purpose The aim of this study was to investigate an imaging biomarker based on contrast enhanced T1-weighted and T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to determine the hearing loss related to acoustic neuromas (AN). Methods In this retrospective study, 441 acoustic neuromas treated with microsurgery were included. The diagnostic and follow-up MRI and audiometry of these patients were compared

Purpose Intracranial atherosclerosis disease (ICAD) is an essential cause of stroke. The characteristics of effective treatment include low periprocedural risk and a sustained treatment effect. Angioplasty with a conventional balloon for ICAD is safe but has a dauntingly high restenosis rate. Drug-coated balloon (DCB) angioplasty might reduce the risk of restenosis while maintaining the overall safety

Purpose Current imaging standard for acute mastoiditis (AM) is contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT), revealing inflammation-induced bone destruction, whereas magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) outperforms CT in detecting intracranial infection. Our aim was to compare the diagnostic performance of MRI with CT in detecting coalescent AM and see to which extent MRI alone would suffice to diagnose

Purpose Endovascular therapy (EVT) represents an alternative treatment modality for symptomatic intracranial high-grade atherosclerotic stenosis (sICAS); however, periprocedural complication rates as well as midterm restenosis rates represent relevant limitations of EVT. Drug-coated balloon percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (DCB-PTA) may overcome some of these shortcomings. The aim of this study

Purpose Prolonged transfer times between the primary stroke center (PSC) and the comprehensive stroke center (CSC) are one of the major causes of treatment delay for endovascular stroke treatment. We aimed to analyze the effect of the diurnal variations in traffic rates at weekdays and weekends on the catchment area size of three transportation paradigms, i.e. mothership, drip-and-ship (DS) and drip-and-drive

Pediatric-onset multiple sclerosis (POMS) is defined by a first multiple sclerosis (MS) attack occurring before 18 years old and is diagnosed by demonstration of dissemination in time (DIT) and space (DIS). Although guidelines evolved over the years, they always recognized the importance of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for diagnosis. The 2017 McDonald criteria are increasingly used and have been

Purpose Anterior cranial fossa (ACF) dural arteriovenous fistulae (DAVF) are rare, unique, and ominous. While surgical disconnection is considered as the favored management option, endovascular treatment has lately gained importance. We present a single institution experience of seven cases. Method A retrospective analysis was performed on the institutional patient database. Features analyzed were

Purpose Current flow diverter (FD) designs limit the possibilities to achieve ideal functional parameters for intra-aneurysmal flow alteration in the implanted state. In this work, we evaluate the technical feasibility of a new patient-specific FD concept and the impact on intra-aneurysmal flow reduction compared to standard FD. Methods Based on a literature review, we defined functional requirements

Background Embolic stroke of undetermined source (ESUS) has traditionally discounted the significance of internal carotid artery stenosis of <50%; however, recent studies have examined the role of carotid artery intraplaque hemorrhage (IPH) as an etiology in nonstenotic carotid arteries. We performed a systemic review of the literature to determine the prevalence of carotid artery IPH on magnetic resonance

Purpose To investigate cortical thickness and cortical quantitative T2 values as imaging markers of microstructural tissue damage in patients with unilateral high-grade internal carotid artery occlusive disease (ICAOD). Methods A total of 22 patients with ≥70% stenosis (mean age 64.8 years) and 20 older healthy control subjects (mean age 70.8 years) underwent structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)

Purpose Endovascular treatment in severe middle cerebral artery (MCA) stenosis is controversial owing to high rates of periprocedural complications, especially occlusion of the lenticulostriate arteries (LSA). The characteristics of LSAs and the spatial relationships between MCA plaques and LSAs using the fusion of three-dimensional (3D) digital subtraction angiography (DSA) and magnetic resonance

Purpose After coil embolization of intracranial aneurysms, it is currently not well understood whether the initial coil packing density or the type of aneurysm residual perfusion, depicted by the modified Raymond-Roy occlusion classification, primarily effects the rate of aneurysm recurrence. We hypothesized that these factors interact and only one remains an independent risk factor. Methods In this

Purpose To investigate cerebral amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF) changes during a single hemodialysis (HD) in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients who need maintenance HD. Materials and Methods A total of 24 patients and 27 healthy subjects were included. The patients underwent neuropsychological tests and took twice resting-state fMRI (rs-fMRI) (before and after HD). Healthy group

Purpose Assessment of the cochlear implant (CI) electrode array position using flat-detector computed tomography (FDCT) to test dependence of postoperative outcome on intracochlear electrode position. Methods A total of 102 patients implanted with 107 CIs underwent FDCT. Electrode position was rated as 1) scala tympani, 2) scala vestibuli, 3) scalar dislocation and 4) no deconvolution. Two independent

Objective The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of a manually expandable stent retriever (Tigertriever, Rapid Medical, Yoqneam, Israel) in the treatment of acute ischemic stroke caused by intracranial large vessel occlusions (LVO). Methods We performed a single center retrospective analysis of all patients treated by mechanical thrombectomy due to LVO using the Tigertriever