Seven-tesla susceptibility-weighted analysis of hippocampal venous structures: Application to magnetic-resonance-normal focal epilepsy.

Objective: Vascular structures may play a significant role in epileptic pathology. Although previous attempts to characterize vasculature relative to epileptogenic zones and hippocampal sclerosis have been inconsistent, an in vivo method of analysis would assist in resolving these inconsistencies and facilitate a comparison against healthy controls in a human model. Magnetic resonance imaging is a noninvasive technique that provides excellent soft tissue contrast, and the relatively recent development of susceptibility-weighted imaging has dramatically improved the visibility of small veins.