Vasculopathy
Disease of the blood vessels.
Accurate and timely diagnosis of intracranial vasculopathies is important due to significant risk of morbidity with delayed and/or incorrect diagnosis both from the disease process as well as inappropriate therapies. Conventional vascular imaging techniques for analysis of intracranial vascular disease provide limited information since they only identify changes to the vessel lumen. New advanced MR intracranial vessel wall imaging (IVW) techniques can allow direct characterisation of the vessel wall. These techniques can advance diagnostic accuracy and may potentially improve patient outcomes by better guided treatment decisions in comparison to previously available invasive and non-invasive techniques. While neuroradiological expertise is invaluable in accurate examination interpretation, clinician familiarity with the application and findings of the various vasculopathies on IVW can help guide diagnostic and therapeutic decision-making. This review article provides a brief overview of the technical aspects of IVW and discusses the IVW findings of various intracranial vasculopathies, differentiating characteristics and indications for when this technique can be beneficial in patient management 1).
Quantification of the severity of vasculopathy and its impact on parenchymal hemodynamics is a necessary prerequisite for informing management decisions and evaluating intervention response in patients with moyamoya disease.
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-associated vasculopathy can cause ischemic stroke; however, there is limited evidence on optimal management.
Mizushima et al. reported a case of acute ischemic stroke due to progressive internal carotid artery stenosis in an HIV-positive patient. Superficial temporal artery to middle cerebral artery bypass), in addition to the best medical treatments, prevented stroke progression.
A 39-year-old man with HIV infection presented with a sudden onset of aphasia and right hemiparesis. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed an ischemic lesion in the leftbasal ganglia and concentric thickening of the vessel wall in the terminal portion of the bilateral ICAs. Despite maximal medical treatments for HIV-associated vasculopathy and possible opportunistic infections, bilateral ICA stenoses progressed, leading to a second hemodynamic stroke event. Because tissue plasminogen activator treatment failed, they performed STA-MCA bypass. A significant improvement in neurological symptoms and cerebral blood flow was observed after surgery. No further stroke events occurred during the continuation of medical treatments 2).