MR APPEARANCE OF VIRCHOW-ROBIN SPACES ALONG LENTICULOSTRIATE ARTERIES- SPIN-ECHO AND 2-DIMENSIONAL FAST LOW-ANGLE SHOT IMAGING

PURPOSE: To delineate the appearance of normal Virchow-Robin spaces on routine spin-echo images and demonstrate the lenticulostriate arterie s within them with a flow-sensitive fast low-angle shot (FLASH) pulse sequence. METHODS: Seventy subjects, free of cerebrovascular diseases and other neurologic disorders, ranging in age from 1 to 75 years, wer e examined. On a 1.5-T MR system, axial spin-echo images of 5 mm thick ness were obtained in all subjects. In 45 of 70 subjects axial two-dim ensional FLASH images of 3 mm thickness were contiguously imaged. RESU LTS: On T1- and spin density-weighted images Virchow-Robin spaces were detected as small foci of cerebrospinal fluid intensity around the an terior commissure in all subjects (100%), and in the basal ganglia at the level of the foramen of Monro in 40 (57%). T2-weighted images equa lly showed Virchow-Robin spates around the anterior commissure but wer e less sensitive than T1- and spin-density weighted images at the leve l of the foramen of Monro (14%). Virchow-Robin spaces identified on T2 -weighted images should be isointense with cerebrospinal fluid. Howeve r, one or two spaces in 11 younger subjects were hypointense relative to adjacent brain tissue. On FLASH images most Virchow-Robin spaces id entified on spin-echo images were delineated as high-intensity foci, c orresponding to lenticulostriate arteries. CONCLUSIONS: Normal Virchow -Robin spaces along the lenticulostriate arteries are frequently detec ted on spin-echo images. Their appearance, affected by the Bow of asso ciated lenticulostriate arteries, varies from hyper- to hypointensity to brain tissue on T2-weighted images. The two-dimensional FLASH seque nce can demonstrate the flow of the arteries, thereby helping confirm that these are truly Virchow-Robin spaces.