MRI OF THE NORMAL BRAIN FROM EARLY-CHILDHOOD TO MIDDLE-AGE .1. APPEARANCES ON T2- AND PROTON DENSITY-WEIGHTED IMAGES AND OCCURRENCE OF INCIDENTAL HIGH-SIGNAL FOCI
T. Autti et al., MRI OF THE NORMAL BRAIN FROM EARLY-CHILDHOOD TO MIDDLE-AGE .1. APPEARANCES ON T2- AND PROTON DENSITY-WEIGHTED IMAGES AND OCCURRENCE OF INCIDENTAL HIGH-SIGNAL FOCI, Neuroradiology, 36(8), 1994, pp. 644-648
Citations number
41
Categorie Soggetti
Radiology,Nuclear Medicine & Medical Imaging",Neurosciences
The magnetic resonance images of 67 healthy subjects aged 4-50 years w
ere studied for differences in general signal intensity between the di
fferent brain structures, the frequency of focal intensity changes in
the brain, and variations in size of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) spa
ces. In adults over 25 years of age the thalamus gave lower signal tha
n the putamen or caudate nucleus. Definite periventricular high signal
was found in the white matter of one third of subjects of all ages. S
mall (< 5 mm in diameter) high signal foci were found in the cerebral
white matter on T2-weighted images in 27% of subjects (20% of healthy
children and adolescents and 34% of adults). They gave high signal on
both short and long echoes in 11% of children and adolescents and in 2
2% of adults; 51% of all foci gave high signal with both echoes. This
does not support the hypothesis that they are caused mainly by enlarge
d Virchow-Robin spaces. Of the high signal foci on T2-weighted images,
86% were in watershead areas. Two foci were found in one subject in t
he periventricular watershed area (beside the tips of the frontal horn
s) and they were never seen in the other deep white matter regions. In
healthy, relatively young subjects with no known risk factors, high s
ignal foci other than Virchow-Robin spaces, were common; neither their
prevalence nor their number correlated with age in this series. A few
slightly large sulci were found in some adults.