[SPONTANEOUS PARENCHYMAL INTRACRANIAL HEMORRHAGE - A DIAGNOSTIC CHALLENGE]

Non-traumatic intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) is a devastating event associated with a high rate of morbidity and mortality. Patient age, hemorrhage location, number of foci, and underlying diseases are important clues to the etiology. Non-contrast head CT, given its availability and high sensitivity in detecting blood products, is frequently the first tool to readily detect ICH; however, different types of hemorrhages may share a common appearance on CT and the optimal therapeutic approach varies depending on etiology. An additional diagnostic work-up is frequently indicated to make the final diagnosis and to assist in urgent patient management. CT- and MR angiography, and digital angiography can diagnose vascular anomalies, CT venography can reveal cerebral vein thrombosis, diffusion-weighted MRI (DWI) may show hemorrhagic transformation of an infarct, and susceptibility-weighted MRI (SWI) may detect hypertensive and amyloid angiopathy-related microbleeds. MR also has a major role in revealing underlying etiologies such as cavernoma, primary brain tumor or metastases. These imaging tools assist in determining the cause of ICH, and also in assessing the risk of deterioration. Prognostic factors such as size, location, mass effect, and detection of the "spot sign" all play an important role in foreseeing possible deterioration, thus allowing prompt intervention. This study will present cases of intraparenchymal hemorrhage from different etiologies in patients who presented to the Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical Center, with the goal of illustrating the role of imaging in patient management and decision-making.