Increased Visibility of Deep Medullary Veins in Transient Ischemic Attack Patients by Using Susceptibility Weighted Imaging

Objectives: To explore alteration of deep medullary ve ns (DMVs) in transient ischemic attack (TIA) patients by using susceptibility weighted imaging (SWI). Patients and Methods: Fifty-three TIA patients and 53 matched gender and age controls' SWI data were studied by comparing their DMVs asymmetry/score between groups. The DMVs score based on the degree of visibility were assessed from 0 (not visible) to 3 (very prominent) for both hemispheres separately. A different score between the two hemispheres was defined as asymmetric DMVs (ADMVs), and an equal score was defined as symmetric DMVs. The higher score in the two hemispheres worked as its DMVs score for ADMVs. In ADMVs, based on whether the affected hemisphere, which was defined according to clinical symptoms by neurologists, gets a higher score or not, was defined as ipsilateral or contralateral asymmetric DMVs (iADMVs or cADMVs). Results: The agreement between neuroradiologists for both asymmetry and score of DMVs on TIA patients' SWI were excellent. There were statistically significant differences for the score of DMVs between TIA and the control group (P< 0.05) even when they were analyzed by further stratification analysis according to the asymmetry of DMVs, as well as asymmetry of DMVs. Of fifty-three patients, 16 patients were present with ADMVs, including 10 iADMVs, and six cADMVs. Conclusion: The visibility of DMVs in patients with TIA were increased, with or without ADMVs, and these alterations may reflect hemodynamic information following TIA process, laying foundations for DMVs application in TIA.