Intracerebral cavernous angiomas in magnetic resonance imaging

The findings obtained by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in 8 cases of surgically and histologically confirmed intracerebral cavernomas are reported. Six of the malformations were located temporally, one was located on the floor of the fourth ventricle, and one in the parietal lobe. All of the 8 cavernomas could be clearly demarcated, both in the T2 weighted image and in the spin density image. They are demonstrated as inhomogeneous zones with high or no signals. The tumors had irregular contours, which were clearly set off from the surrounding parenchyma. In 2 cases, the hemorrhage later detected surgically could already be assumed from the MR image. In 3 cases, zones with weak signals were found in the tumor, which were considered to be calcifications. One case of a vein with laminar flow could be established.