Usefulness of 2D PC MRA of the Circle of Willis in the Evaluation of Acute Cere b ral Infarction

PURPOSE: To evaluate the usefulness of axial 2-D PC MRA of the circle of Willis in the evaluation of acute cerebral infarction. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We evaluated 42 patients with acute cerebral infarction who had undergone T2 weighted and diffusion weighted MR imaging (T2WI, DWI) and 2-D PC MRA of the circle of Willis within 72 hours of the onset of symptoms. In conjunction with high-signal lesions on DWI, the findings of 2-D PC MRA were classified as normal, stenotic, or indicative of arterial occlusion; negative 2-D PC MRA was not considered useful. In addition, the signal intensity of T2WI and DWI was compared. RESULTS: (The findings of 2-D PC MRA showed that 15 cases (35.7%) were normal, 13(31%) were stenotic, and that in 14 (33.3 %), occlusion was present). Thus, 2-D PC MRA detected vascular abnormality in 27 cases (64.3 %). On T2WI, six cases (14.3 %) showed no signal change and 36 (85.7 %) showed high signal change. In six cases without signal change, MR images were obtained within 12 hours of ictus; in one of these patients MRA findings were normal, one had stenosis, and in four, occlusion was noted. CONCLUSION: 2-D PC MRA is a useful modality for the detection of vascular abnormality in patients with acute cerebral infarct.