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Updated: Nov 7, 2025
Assessing Cortical Cerebral Microinfarcts on High Resolution MR Images
Published on: November 20, 2015
Identification of hippocampal cortical microinfarcts on postmortem 3-T magnetic resonance imaging
Max Scheffler1, Rares Salomir2,3, Enrique Maturana4
1Division of Radiology, Geneva University Hospitals, Chemin du Pont-Bochet 3, 1226, Thonex, Switzerland. max.scheffler@hcuge.ch.
Abstract:
Cortical microinfarcts (CMI) are increasingly recognized in the neurological community as a biomarker related to cognitive impairment and dementia. If their radiological depiction has been largely described in experimental settings using ultra-high-field magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), less is known about their visibility on routinely used 3-T MRI. In this radiologic-pathologic correlation study, using 3-T post-mortem MRI, we searched for hippocampal CMI, in a double-blinded fashion, and found that only 4/36, or 11%, were clearly demonstrated on both radiological and histopathological exams.
Insights
Cortical microinfarcts (CMI) are difficult to detect using standard 3-T MRI. This study found only 11% of hippocampal CMIs were clearly visible on 3-T post-mortem MRI, limiting their use as a dementia biomarker.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Radiology
- Pathology
Background:
- Cortical microinfarcts (CMI) are increasingly recognized as a biomarker for cognitive impairment and dementia.
- Ultra-high-field MRI has shown promise in depicting CMIs, but their visibility on standard 3-T MRI remains unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the visibility of hippocampal cortical microinfarcts (CMI) on 3-T post-mortem MRI.
- To compare MRI findings with histopathological examination for radiologic-pathologic correlation.
Main Methods:
- A radiologic-pathologic correlation study was conducted using 3-T post-mortem MRI.
- Hippocampal CMI were assessed in a double-blinded manner, comparing MRI results with histopathology.
Main Results:
- Only 4 out of 36 cases (11%) showed clear demonstration of hippocampal CMI on both 3-T MRI and histopathological examination.
- The low detection rate suggests limitations in visualizing CMIs with routine 3-T MRI.
Conclusions:
- Standard 3-T MRI has limited sensitivity for detecting hippocampal cortical microinfarcts.
- Further research is needed to improve MRI techniques for CMI detection and their utility as dementia biomarkers.
