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Radiologic-Histopathologic Correlation of Cerebral Microbleeds Using Pre-Mortem and Post-Mortem MRI
Sven Haller1,2,3,4, Marie-Louise Montandon2,5, François Lazeyras6
1Affidea Centre de Diagnostic Radiologique de Carouge CDRC, Carouge, Switzerland.
Plos One
|December 10, 2016
Summary
Routine brain MRI misses about half of cerebral microbleeds (CMBs) and incorrectly identifies some as positive. This study investigated the accuracy of MRI for detecting CMBs compared to histopathology.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Radiology
- Pathology
Background:
- Cerebral microbleeds (CMBs) are increasingly detected using advanced MRI, with higher prevalence noted in cognitive decline.
- Radiologic-histopathologic correlation of CMBs remains under-investigated.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the accuracy of pre-mortem MRI in detecting cerebral microbleeds (CMBs).
- To compare MRI-detected CMBs with histopathology and post-mortem MRI findings.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of 25 autopsy cases with pre-mortem MRI showing at least one CMB.
- Comparison of pre-mortem MRI findings with targeted histopathology and post-mortem MRI.
Main Results:
- Pre-mortem MRI detected 31 CMBs, with histopathology identifying an additional 25.
- MRI had a sensitivity of 51.9% for CMB detection, with a false positive rate of 12%.
- Pre-mortem MRI significantly underestimated CMB prevalence (p = 0.0001).
Conclusions:
- Routine clinical brain MRI underestimates CMB prevalence by approximately 50%.
- A significant proportion of pre-mortem MRI CMBs are false positives.
- Post-mortem MRI ruled out post-imaging microbleed occurrence as the cause of discordance.
