Cranial computed tomography and magnetic resonance tomography in cerebrovascular occlusive disease

CT is the method of choice for acute diagnosis of cerebral infarction. Attention is to be paid to the alterations of the absorption values with time during the infarction course. In particular, the "fogging effect" should be considered in the second and third week when the infarct may not be demonstrable in the simple CT owing to isodensity and lack of signs of space occupation. The xenon CT enables cerebral blood flow to be measured with calculation of regional cerebral blood flow in ml/100 g brain tissue/min. The simple clinical implementation and the good anatomical correlation are advantageous. MR offers a further non-invasive possibility of diagnosing cerebrovascular diseases. MR is especially efficient in detecting small lacunar infarcts in the medullary bed and in the brain stem. The application of gadolinium-DTPA has in particular differential diagnostic significance. In MR angiography, it is to be expected that the large vessels of the neck and brain can be imaged in the future without administration of contrast media.