Dissection of Middle Cerebral Artery diagnosed by Magnetic Resonance Imaging

ABSTRACT

Arterial dissections usually arise from an intimal tear and can allow the development of an intramural hematoma. Dissection occurs frequently in the aorta or its branches and also occurs commonly in the internal carotid or vertebro-basilar arteries. The condition is rare in the intracranial cerebral arteries, especially above the supraclinoid segment of the internal carotid artery. The diagnosis of arterial dissection used to be made by conventional cerebral angiography. But recently, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is helpful to diagnose arterial dissection. We report two cases of middle cerebral arterial dissection using MRI.