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Updated: Jun 12, 2026
Optimized System for Cerebral Perfusion Monitoring in the Rat Stroke Model of Intraluminal Middle Cerebral Artery Occlusion
Published on: February 17, 2013
Interrogating the Functional Correlates of Collateralization in Patients with Intracranial Stenosis Using Multimodal
B A Roach1, M J Donahue2, L T Davis1
1From the Departments of Radiology and Radiological Sciences (B.A.R., M.J.D., L.T.D., C.C.F., D.A., T.R.L., A.O.S., M.K.S.).
Insights
Assessing collateral vessels in cerebral perfusion is key. This study found collateral presence on digital subtraction angiography strongly correlates with reduced cerebrovascular reactivity, especially in nonatherosclerotic conditions.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Radiology
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- Cerebral perfusion maintenance via collateralization is crucial but difficult to measure noninvasively.
- Assessing collateral flow is vital for understanding stroke and related conditions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To correlate baseline perfusion, arterial transit time, cerebrovascular reactivity, and collateral vessels on digital subtraction angiography (DSA).
- To investigate the relationship between collateral vessels seen on arterial spin-labeling MRI and DSA with cerebrovascular reactivity.
Main Methods:
- Compared collateral vessels on DSA with blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) MRI measures of hypercapnic cerebrovascular reactivity in 18 patients with symptomatic intracranial stenosis.
- DSA and arterial spin-labeling (ASL) MRI maps were scored to quantify collateralization and perfusion.
Main Results:
- Collateral vessel presence on DSA strongly correlated with decreased cerebrovascular reactivity (P < .001) in ASL regions with normal-to-high signal.
- This correlation was most prominent in nonatherosclerotic disease.
- A trend suggested increasing cerebrovascular reactivity with greater collateralization (P = .082).
Conclusions:
- Collateral vessels may exhibit distinct vasoreactivity compared to healthy vessels.
- This difference is most pronounced in nonatherosclerotic cerebrovascular disease.
- Findings highlight the importance of collateral assessment in cerebrovascular conditions.
Background And Purpose:
The importance of collateralization for maintaining adequate cerebral perfusion is increasingly recognized. However, measuring collateral flow noninvasively has proved elusive. The aim of this study was to assess correlations among baseline perfusion and arterial transit time artifacts, cerebrovascular reactivity, and the presence of collateral vessels on digital subtraction angiography.
Materials And Methods:
The relationship between the presence of collateral vessels on arterial spin-labeling MR imaging and DSA was compared with blood oxygen level-dependent MR imaging measures of hypercapnic cerebrovascular reactivity in patients with symptomatic intracranial stenosis (n = 18). DSA maps were reviewed by a neuroradiologist and assigned the following scores: 1, collaterals to the periphery of the ischemic site; 2, complete irrigation of the ischemic bed via collateral flow; and 3, normal antegrade flow. Arterial spin-labeling maps were scored according to the following: 0, low signal; 1, moderate signal with arterial transit artifacts; 2, high signal with arterial transit artifacts; and 3, normal signal.
Results:
In regions with normal-to-high signal on arterial spin-labeling, collateral vessel presence on DSA strongly correlated with declines in cerebrovascular reactivity (as measured on blood oxygen level-dependent MR imaging, P < .001), most notably in patients with nonatherosclerotic disease. There was a trend toward increasing cerebrovascular reactivity with increases in the degree of collateralization on DSA (P = .082).
Conclusions:
Collateral vessels may have fundamentally different vasoreactivity properties from healthy vessels, a finding that is observed most prominently in nonatherosclerotic disease and, to a lesser extent, in atherosclerotic disease.
