Enhancement of the intracranial arterial wall at MR imaging: relationship to cerebral atherosclerosis.

Abstract

PURPOSE: To investigate the relationship between intracranial arterial wall enhancement and atherosclerosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Intracranial vertebral arteries of 30 patients and carotid arteries of 62 patients were studied with spin-echo magnetic resonance imaging with contrast enhancement and spatial presaturation. Arterial wall enhancement was graded as follows: stage 1, no substantial enhancement; stage 2, faint or thin area of enhancement; stage 3, definite and thick area of enhancement. RESULTS: In vertebral arteries, stage 3 enhancement was seen in 11 patients (mean age, 73.7 years) and stage 1 in eight (mean age, 56.4 years). In carotid arteries, stage 3 enhancement was seen in 13 patients (mean age, 71.0 years) and stage 1 in 21 patients (mean age, 39.0 years). In both arteries, stage was well correlated with age (P < .05). CONCLUSION: Arterial wall enhancement is related to aging and is probably due to neovascularity in association with atherosclerotic plaques. This finding may permit assessment of intracranial atherosclerosis and other vascular diseases.