Comprehensive Analysis of Basal Ganglia Densities in Acute Middle Cerebral Artery Ischemia on Computed Tomography

Abstract

Objective: To present a new objective radiological criterion that can detect early cerebral ischemia by analyzing the density changes in the basal ganglia, which are well-characterized anatomical structures in non-contrast brain tomography, in patients with acute ischemic stroke confirmed by diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging. Material and Method: Of the patients who underwent brain tomography and diffusion-weighted imaging due to a suspected acute ischemic stroke, those with normal tomography findings were included in the study. Ischemic cases were included in the acute ischemic stroke group, and those that were not diagnosed with ischemia were included in the control group. The densities of the thalamus and basal ganglia were measured in all patients. Results: In the control group, the left basal ganglia and thalamus densities were higher compared to the right side. In the acute ischemic stroke group, the densities of the lentiform and caudate nucleus were significantly higher on the non-ischemia side than on the ischemia side. The acute ischemic stroke group had a lower symmetrical agreement in terms of the densities of the basal ganglia and thalamus compared to the control group. Conclusion: In acute ischemic cases, density changes in the basal ganglia and thalamus are promising indicators that can be used in radiological diagnosis in the early period and at the time of non-contrast brain tomography.

Keywords

• stroke
• tomography
• emergency radiology

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