Background and Purpose Internal carotid artery dissection has increasingly been reported as a cause of transient ischemic attack or stroke. However, scarce data exist on the natural history of the arterial lesions and the temporal profile of recanalization.Methods We followed 48 patients with 50 angiographicalry confirmed internal carotid artery dissections by sequential duplex Doppler studies in 2-to 4-day intervals during the first weeks after the onset of symptoms and after 4 weeks in 1-to 2-month intervals for up to 2 years. We assessed sonographic features as well as the frequency and time course of resolution.Results Initial Doppler findings were abnormal in all patients, most of whom (68%) presented with a characteristic bidirectional high-resistance Doppler signal in the internal

Affective and neuroendocrine disorders were related to inflammatory disease activity but not to degree of disability, supporting the hypothesis that these symptoms are causally associated with brain injury.

We have developed a new method for estimation of regional CBF (rCBF) and cerebrovascular reserve capacity on a pixel-by-pixel basis by means of dynamic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Thirteen healthy volunteers, 8 patients with occlusion and/or high grade stenosis of the internal carotid artery (ICA), and 2 patients with acute stroke underwent dynamic susceptibility-weighted contrast enhanced MRI. Using principles of indicator dilution theory and deconvolution analysis, maps of rCBF, regional cerebral blood volume, and of the mean transit time (MTT) were calculated. In patients with ICA occlusion/stenosis, cerebrovascular reserve capacity was assessed by the rCBF increase after acetazolamide stimulation. Mean gray and white matter rCBF values in normals were 67.1 and 23.7 mL x 100 g(-1) x min(-1), respectively. Before acetazolamide stimulation, six of eight patients with ICA occlusions showed decreased rCBF values; and in seven patients increased MTT values were observed in tissue ipsilateral to the occlusion. After acetazolamide stimulation, decreased cerebrovascular reserve capacity was observed in five of eight patients with ICA occlusion. In acute stroke, rCBF in the central core of ischemia was less than 8 mL x 100 g(-1) x min(-1). In peri-infarct tissue, rCBF and MTT were higher than in unaffected tissue but rCBF was normal. Dynamic MRI provides important clinical information on the hemodynamic state of brain tissue in patients with occlusive cerebrovascular disease or acute stroke.