Contrast enhancement patterns associated with acute stroke in moyamoya disease using MR vessel wall imaging

High-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (HR-MRI) can provide valuable insights into the histopathological characteristics of moyamoya disease (MMD). However, the patterns of vessel wall contrast enhancement have not been well established. We aimed to identify the contrast enhancement patterns of the vessel walls associated with acute cerebral infarction using HR-MRI in MMD.

In this retrospective study, we conducted genetic tests for Ring Finger Protein 213 (RNF 213) and performed HR-MRI on patients suspected of having MMD. We analyzed wall enhancement patterns including concentric, eccentric, or mixed enhancement types, and the occurrence of acute cerebral infarction in patients who simultaneously tested positive for RNF 213 and exhibited definite features of MMD on HR-MRI.

Among 306 patients who underwent RNF 213 tests for the evaluation of MMD, 56 showed positive RNF 213, and HR-MRI was performed on 32 of them. Among the patients with acute cerebral infarction, the incidence rate was significantly higher in the group with concentric wall enhancement compared to patients without acute cerebral infarction (73.3% vs. 17.0%, p < .002). Furthermore, the incidence was notably elevated, even in patients with pure concentric wall enhancement (40.0% vs. 5.9%, p = .033). The area under the curve (AUC) for the group with any concentric wall enhancement showed a significant result of .78 (95% confidence interval [CI]: .61-.95, p = .007), whereas the predictive ability for pure concentric wall enhancement did not reach significance (AUC = .67, 95% CI: .48-.86, p = .100).

Concentric wall enhancement was a significant predictor of acute cerebral infarction in patients with MMD.