TABLE 2.
Imaging diagnosis | Definition based on MRI characteristics |
White matter hyperintensities | WMH commonly locate in both periventricular or subcortical areas with hypointense on T1-weighted images and hyperintense on T2-weighted and FLAIR images. |
Brain atrophy | Overall brain volume decreases with advancing age, and cerebral spinal fluid increases relatively. |
Enlarged perivascular space | Enlarged perivascular space is also called Virchow–Robin space (VRS). VRS is commonly linear or lobulated in shape with hypointense on T1-weighted images and hyperintense on T2-weighted and FLAIR images. |
Cerebral microbleeds | CMB is a hypointense foci on SWI images with maximum size up to 5 or even 10 mm. |
Paranasal sinusitis | Unilateral or bilateral mucoperiosteal thickness or hydrops in the paranasal sinus. |
Retention cysts of the maxillary sinus | Retention cysts of the maxillary sinus are rounded or dome-shaped lesions originating from the wall of the sinus with hypointense on T1-weighted images and hyperintense on T2-weighted image. |
Calvarial thickening | Widened skull width. |
Mastoiditis | Increased fluid signal in the mastoid air cells on T2-weighted images. |
Pineal cyst | Cystic lesions in Pineal region with hypointense on T1-weighted images and hyperintense on T2-weighted images. |
Asymptomatic brain infarct | Asymptomatic brain infarct is a focal parenchymal lesion with hypointense on T1-weighted images, hyperintense on T2-weighted images and with a hyperintense rim on FLAIR images. |
Falx cerebri ossification | Falx cerebri ossification demonstrates signal intensity similar to fatty marrow on T1-weighted and T2-weighted images and hypointense on SWI images. |
Empty Sella | Pituitary surface is concave, and the height of the pituitary is less than 3 mm. |
Rathke’s cleft cyst | Rathke’s cleft cyst commonly locate between anterior and posterior pituitary lobes with hypointense on T1-weighted images and hyperintense on T2-weighted images. |
Hydrocephalus | Ventricular enlargement out of proportion to sulcal atrophy. |
Cysts of the septum pellucidum | A cystic structure between lateral ventricles whose walls are 10 mm apart or greater. |
Subdermal cyst | Cystic lesions in subdermal with hypointense on T1-weighted images and hyperintense on T2-weighted images. |
Enlarged cisterna magna | With more rostral extension in the posterior fossa close to the occipital squama than normal. |
Venous malformation | Venous malformation is comprised of one or more atypically shaped veins and is hypointense on SWI images and/or flow-voids on T1-weighted and T2-weighted images. |
Cavernous malformation | Cavernous malformations are usually hypointense on SWI images and with a hypointense hemosiderin rim and a core of variable signal intensity on T2-weighted images. |
Meningioma | Meningioma is an extra-axial lesion with isointense or hypointense on T1-weighted images, variable signal intensities on T2-weighted images. Calcifications sometimes (hypointense on all images) within lesion. |
Osteoma | Dense lesions usually involve outer table with hypointense on all images. |
Arachnoid cyst | Arachnoid cyst is a well-defined cystic lesion with hypointense on T1-weighted images and hyperintense on T2-weighted images. |
Bone cyst | Cystic lesion on skull with hypointense on T1-weighted images and hyperintense on T2-weighted images. |
Craniopharyngiomas | A cystic or calcified tumor usually locate in suprasellar region with variable intensities. |
Pituitary adenoma | Normal pituitary gland may not be identified. Signal intensities of pituitary adenoma are isointense to gray matter on all sequences but sometimes show cystic changes. |
Metastasis | Multiple skull osteoclasia. Whole-body CT scan also showed multiple bone destruction surrounded by soft tissue masses. |
Aneurysm | Aneurysms are well delineated focal arterial out-pouching with a saccular shape, usually located in cavernous internal carotid artery or circle of Willis. Aneurysms are visualized as flow voids (black) on T2-weighted images and could be well identified on magnetic resonance angiography. |
Chronic subdural hematoma | Crescent-shaped fluid collection with hypointense on T1-weighted images and hyperintense on T2-weighted images. Extra-axial fluid collection could cross sutures. |
Acute subdural hematoma | Crescent-shaped lesion with hyperintense on T1-weighted and T2-weighted images. Extra-axial lesion could cross sutures. |
WMH, white matter hyperintensities; EPVS, enlarged perivascular space; CMBs, cerebral microbleeds.