Subarachnoid hemorrhage: evaluation with MR imaging.

Abstract

Thirty-seven magnetic resonance (MR) examinations were performed at 0.5 T in 33 patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) caused by a ruptured aneurysm. Images were obtained 2 hours to 75 days after the ictus. Twenty-four proton-density-weighted (long repetition time [TR], short echo time [TE]) images were obtained in the acute stage (< 72 hours after the ictus) of SAH; SAH was hyperintense to brain parenchyma and cerebrospinal fluid in all cases. The detectability of acute SAH on T1- (short TR, short TE) and T2- (long TR, long TE) weighted images was 36% and 50%, respectively. In the subacute and chronic stages (> 3 days after the ictus), the detectability of SAH on T1-, T2-, and proton-density-weighted images was 73%, 31%, and 83%, respectively. Although computed tomography is still the modality of choice for evaluating acute SAH, the authors emphasize that even acute SAH can be reliably demonstrated with MR imaging with the appropriate parameters.