SPIN-ECHO MRI OF CHRONIC INTRACEREBRAL HEMATOMAS

Our purpose was to characterise the MRI appearances of clinically non- neoplastic chronic intracerebral haematomas (ICH). We examined 25 pati ents with a history of clinically non-neoplastic 0.5- to 1.5-year-old ICH who underwent prospective follow-up 1.0-T spin-echo MRI of the bra in. On T1-weighted images most lesions gave lower signal than white ma tter and were isointense with cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). On T2-weighte d images most were either totally low-signal and slit-like, or had a h igh-signal centre and a low-signal margin. The low-signal (haemosideri n) rim showed areas of discontinuity in 7 cases. Of 24 lesions, 4 show ed small enhancing areas on contrast-enhanced images. In 10 cases the brain parenchyma surrounding the lesion showed high-signal on T2- and low signal on T1-weighted images, probably representing encephalomalac ia. In 20 cases enlargement of a nearby CSF space was observed, and 14 cases showed atrophy of the brain stem ipsilateral to the lesion. We thus found more variation on MRI of clinically non-neoplastic chronic ICH than previously described.