A striking similarity has been found between the distribution of occlusions in various cerebral arteries and the statistical regularity of the pathways of balloon drifting freely in the blood stream. Based on the assumption that the course of a balloon is determined by the same hydrodynamic laws as that of an embolus of similar size, it is concluded that the majority of occlusions of the cerebral arteries are of embolic origin. Emboli, then, might also be an explanation for most of the TIAs.

Arterial Occlusive Diseases↗

PubMedDate not supplied

CT visualization of intracranial arterial thromboembolism.

Eight cases of presumed acute occlusion of intracranial arteries, 7 middle cerebral and 1 posterior cerebral, demonstrated the occluded artery as an abnormal high density structure on non-enhanced computed tomography. Three cases underwent subsequent angiography which confirmed the diagnosis. CT scanning is therefore able to visualize acute thromboembolism in the intracranial arteries. In the appropriate clinical setting of acute stroke, an artery visualized on non-contrast CT scan as diffuse high density and higher in density than other visualized vessels should be suspected as acutely occluded by clot.

Acute Disease↗