Acute basilar thrombosis: Recanalization following intravenous thrombolysis is dependent on thrombus length.

Introduction: We investigated whether thrombus length measured in Computed Tomography Angiography (CTA) is predictive of the success rate of intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) in acute basilar occlusion and whether recanalization can be achieved by additional mechanical endovascular thrombectomy.

Methods: In 51 patients with acute basilar thrombosis thrombus length was measured on CTA images before intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) with rt-PA was started. After 114 minutes on average success of IVT was evaluated either by CTA or DSA.

Penumbra pattern assessment in acute stroke patients: comparison of quantitative and non-quantitative methods in whole brain CT perfusion.

Background And Purpose: While penumbra assessment has become an important part of the clinical decision making for acute stroke patients, there is a lack of studies measuring the reliability and reproducibility of defined assessment techniques in the clinical setting. Our aim was to determine reliability and reproducibility of different types of three-dimensional penumbra assessment methods in stroke patients who underwent whole brain CT perfusion imaging (WB-CTP).

Materials And Methods: We included 29 patients with a confirmed MCA infarction who underwent initial WB-CTP with a scan coverage of 100 mm in the z-axis.

Parallel-transmit-accelerated spatially-selective excitation MRI for reduced-FOV diffusion-weighted-imaging of the pancreas.

Objectives: To find out whether the use of accelerated 2D-selective parallel-transmit excitation MRI for diffusion-weighted EPI (pTX-EPI) offers advantages over conventional single-shot EPI (c-EPI) with respect to different aspects of image quality in the MRI of the pancreas.

Materials And Methods: The MRI examinations of 33 consecutive patients were evaluated in this prospective and IRB-approved study. PTX-EPI was performed with a reduced (zoomed) FOV of 230 × 118 mm(2).

Vertebral artery hypoplasia: frequency and effect on cerebellar blood flow characteristics.

Background And Purpose: Vertebral artery hypoplasia (VAH) is supposed to be a risk factor for posterior circulation ischemia (PCI), particularly in the territory of the posterior inferior cerebellar artery (PICA). The aim of our study was to determine whether VAH impedes perfusion in the dependent PICA territory even in the absence of manifest PCI.

Methods: VA diameter was retrospectively measured in 934 consecutive patients who underwent whole-brain multimodal computed tomography because of suspected stroke.