Objective: Quantitative measurements of intracranial vessel walls are reliable in 3-T high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (HR-MRI). However, few reports have assessed the arterial wall after endovascular treatment (EVT) by 3-T HR-MRI. This study aimed to quantitatively analyze vessel walls in vertebrobasilar artery dissecting aneurysms after EVT.
Methods: From May 2012 to December 2015, a total of 21 patients with 21 intracranial vertebrobasilar dissecting aneurysms (VBDAs) were enrolled in this consecutive study. All the VBDAs were characterized by intramural hematomas (IMHs ≥5 mm) and treated with reconstructive EVT. Images of preoperative and follow-up 3-T HR-MRI were used to evaluate the arterial wall. The relative signal intensity (RSI) of IMHs was quantified on T1-weighted imaging (T1WI) and magnetization-prepared rapid acquisition gradient-echo (MPRAGE).
Results: Angiographic follow-up was performed for a mean of 9.19 ± 3.22 months. According to angiographic results at follow-up, 21 patients were divided into 2 groups (progressive group, n = 6; stable group, n = 15). In the progressive group, RSI of IMHs was significantly increased on MPRAGE of follow-up 3-T HR-MRI compared with that before treatment (P < 0.05), and the difference was not significant on T1WI. However, in the stable group, RSI of IMHs was significantly reduced after treatment (P < 0.05).
Conclusions: Persistent high signal intensity of IMHs in VBDAs after reconstructive EVT may be associated with the progression of VBDAs. It may also indicate an unsteady state of the aneurysm, which suggests that reconstruction of the parent artery is not satisfactory.
Keywords: Dissection; Intracranial aneurysms; Intramural hematoma; MRI; Vertebrobasilar.
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