Branching pattern of lenticulostriate arteries observed by MR angiography at 3.0 T.

Purpose: We hypothesized that the pattern of branching of the lenticulostriate arteries (LSAs) is involved in the variation of the distribution of the infarction within the LSA region. Our purpose was to evaluate the visibility of LSAs in 3D time-of-flight (TOF) MR angiography (MRA) with a 3.0 T scanner and to investigate the branching patterns of LSAs.

Materials And Methods: We performed 3D TOF MRA at 3.0 T for 100 healthy subjects. We assessed the number of LSAs and the number of branches arising from each LSA by evaluating MRA source images.

Results: In 200 hemispheres, 330 LSAs were visualized (mean = 1.65/hemisphere). In 3.5% of all hemispheres, no LSA was depicted; one LSA was depicted in 39%, two in 46.5%, and three in 11%. The maximum number of depicted LSA branches was five in 2% of all subjects, four in 7%, three in 26%, and two in 49% (mean = 2.3/subject). A large LSA trunk with three or more branches was found in 35% of subjects.

Conclusion: Visualization of LSAs was possible in 96.5% of subjects by use of 3.0 T MRA. LSA branching patterns were variable, and a large LSA trunk with three or more branches was common.