Knowledge about the characteristics of stroke-like lesions is expandable

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Photothrombotic Ischemia: A Minimally Invasive and Reproducible Photochemical Cortical Lesion Model for Mouse Stroke Studies
08:40

Photothrombotic Ischemia: A Minimally Invasive and Reproducible Photochemical Cortical Lesion Model for Mouse Stroke Studies

Published on: June 9, 2013

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Josef Finsterer1

  • 1Klinik Landstrasse, Messerli Institute, Postfach 20, 1180, Vienna, Austria. fifigs1@yahoo.de.

Metabolic Brain Disease
|August 26, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Stroke-like episodes are common in mitochondrial disorders, presenting as dynamic lesions on MRI. Differentiating these from ischemic stroke is vital for appropriate patient management and treatment.

Area of Science:

  • Neurology
  • Genetics
  • Radiology

Background:

  • Stroke-like episodes (SLEs) are a hallmark of mitochondrial disorders (MIDs).
  • Mitochondrial encephalopathy, lactic acidosis, and stroke-like episode syndrome (MELAS) frequently exhibit SLEs.
  • Stroke-like lesions (SLLs) are the imaging correlate of SLEs, characterized by dynamic changes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To detail the characteristic imaging findings of SLLs.
  • To emphasize the importance of distinguishing SLLs from ischemic stroke.

Main Methods:

  • Multimodal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
  • Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS).
  • FDG-PET imaging.

Main Results:

  • SLLs exhibit unique morphological and structural abnormalities on advanced neuroimaging.
  • These lesions show dynamic evolution, expanding and then regressing over time.
  • Distinct imaging patterns differentiate SLLs from typical ischemic strokes.

Conclusions:

  • SLLs in mitochondrial disorders have characteristic imaging features.
  • Accurate differentiation of SLLs from ischemic stroke is critical for guiding clinical decisions and improving patient outcomes.
Keywords:
MELASMitochondrial disorderStroke-like episodeStroke-like lesionmtDNA

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