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Merli E, Rustici A, Gramegna LL, Di Donato M, Agati R, Tonon C, Lodi R, Favoni V, Pierangeli G, Cortelli P, Cevoli S, Cirillo L. Vessel-wall MRI in primary headaches: The role of neurogenic inflammation. Headache 2023; 63:1372-1379. [PMID: 35137395 DOI: 10.1111/head.14253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2021] [Revised: 11/11/2021] [Accepted: 11/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to investigate if vessel-wall magnetic resonance imaging (VW-MRI) could differentiate among primary headaches disorders, such as migraine and cluster headache (CH), and detect the presence of neurogenic inflammation. BACKGROUND The pathophysiology of primary headaches disorders is complex and not completely clarified. The activation of nociceptive trigeminal afferents through the release of vasoactive neuropeptides, termed "neurogenic inflammation," has been hypothesized. VW-MRI can identify vessel wall changes, reflecting the inflammatory remodeling of the vessel walls despite different etiologies. METHODS In this case series, we enrolled seven patients with migraine and eight patients with CH. They underwent a VW-MRI study before and after the intravenous administration of contrast medium, during and outside a migraine attack or cluster period. Two expert neuroradiologists analyzed the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies to identify the presence of vessel wall enhancement or other vascular abnormalities. RESULTS Fourteen out of 15 patients had no enhancement. One out of 15, with migraine, showed a focal parietal enhancement in the intracranial portion of a vertebral artery, unmodified during and outside the attack, thus attributable to atherosclerosis. No contrast enhancement attributable to neurogenic inflammation was observed in VW-MRI, both during and outside the attack/cluster in all patients. Moreover, MRI angiography registered slight diffuse vasoconstriction in one of seven patients with migraine during the attack and in one of eight patients with cluster headache during the cluster period; both patients had taken triptans as symptomatic therapy for pain. CONCLUSIONS These preliminary results suggest that VW-MRI studies are negative in patients with primary headache disorders even during migraine attacks or cluster periods. The VW-MRI studies did not detect signs of neurogenic inflammation in the intracranial intradural vessels of patients with migraine or CH.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Merli
- UOC Neurologia e Rete Stroke metropolitana, IRCCS Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Arianna Rustici
- Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine (DIMES), University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Laura Ludovica Gramegna
- Programma di Neuroimmagini Funzionali e Molecolari, IRCCS Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna, Bologna, Italy
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences (DIBINEM), University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Marco Di Donato
- Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine (DIMES), University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Raffaele Agati
- Programma Neuroradiologia con Tecniche ad Elevata Complessità, IRCCS Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Caterina Tonon
- Programma di Neuroimmagini Funzionali e Molecolari, IRCCS Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna, Bologna, Italy
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences (DIBINEM), University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Raffaele Lodi
- Programma di Neuroimmagini Funzionali e Molecolari, IRCCS Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Valentina Favoni
- UO Clinica Neurologica NeuroMet, IRCCS Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Giulia Pierangeli
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences (DIBINEM), University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
- UO Clinica Neurologica NeuroMet, IRCCS Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Pietro Cortelli
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences (DIBINEM), University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
- UO Clinica Neurologica NeuroMet, IRCCS Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Sabina Cevoli
- UO Clinica Neurologica NeuroMet, IRCCS Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Luigi Cirillo
- Programma di Neuroimmagini Funzionali e Molecolari, IRCCS Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna, Bologna, Italy
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences (DIBINEM), University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
- Programma Neuroradiologia con Tecniche ad Elevata Complessità, IRCCS Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna, Bologna, Italy
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Reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome: review of neuroimaging findings. Radiol Med 2022; 127:981-990. [PMID: 35932443 PMCID: PMC9362037 DOI: 10.1007/s11547-022-01532-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2022] [Accepted: 07/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
Abstract
Reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome (RCVS) is a group of disorders characterized by segmental narrowing and dilatation of medium-to-large cerebral arteries, clinically presenting with recurrent episodes of sudden-onset thunderclap headaches, with or without focal neurological deficits. Cerebral vasoconstriction is typically reversible, with spontaneous resolution within 3 months. Although the syndrome has generally a benign course, patients with neurological deficits may experience worse outcome. The main imaging finding is segmental constriction of intracranial arteries, which can be associated with subarachnoid hemorrhage and/or ischemic foci. Other possible findings are intracranial hemorrhage, subdural bleeding and cerebral edema. The latter may have a pattern which can resemble that of posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome, a condition that can overlap with RCVS. New imaging techniques, such as vessel wall imaging and arterial spin labeling, are proving useful in RCVS and are giving new insights into the pathophysiology of this condition. In this paper, we aim to review neuroimaging findings of RCVS.
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Cirillo L, Rustici A, Toni F, Zoli M, Bartiromo F, Gramegna LL, Cicala D, Tonon C, Caranci F, Lodi R. Vessel Wall MRI: clinical implementation in cerebrovascular disorders—technical aspects. Radiol Med 2022; 127:645-651. [PMID: 35366709 PMCID: PMC9130152 DOI: 10.1007/s11547-022-01484-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2021] [Accepted: 03/09/2022] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
AbstractVessel Wall MRI (VW-MRI) is an emerging MR sequence used for diagnosis, characterization, and treatment planning of cerebrovascular diseases. Although VW-MRI is not yet routinely used, most papers have emphasized its role in several aspects of the management of cerebrovascular diseases. Nowadays, no VW-MRI sequence optimized for the intracranial imaging is commercially available, thus the Spin Echo sequences are the more effective sequences for this purpose. Moreover, as one of the principal technical requirements for intracranial VW-MR imaging is to achieve both the suppression of blood in vessel lumen and of the outer cerebrospinal fluid, different suppression techniques have been developed. This short report provides the technical parameters of our VW-MR sequence developed over 3-years’ experience.
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Pensato U, Matteo E, Cevoli S. The unforgivable curse of Harry Potter's thunderclap headaches. Headache 2021; 61:1287-1290. [PMID: 34510446 PMCID: PMC9293176 DOI: 10.1111/head.14205] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2021] [Revised: 07/05/2021] [Accepted: 07/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Umberto Pensato
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Eleonora Matteo
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Sabina Cevoli
- UOC Clinica Neurologica NEUROMET, IRCCS Istituto Delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna, Bologna, Italia
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Rustici A, Merli E, Cevoli S, Donato MD, Pierangeli G, Favoni V, Bortolotti C, Sturiale C, Cortelli P, Cirillo L. Vessel-wall MRI in thunderclap headache: A useful tool to answer the riddle? Interv Neuroradiol 2020; 27:219-224. [PMID: 33302764 DOI: 10.1177/1591019920979496] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Finding an intracranial aneurysm (IA) during a thunderclap headache (TCH) attack, represents a problem because it is necessary to distinguish whether the aneurysm is responsible for the headache as a warning leak or as an incidental finding. High-Resolution Vessel-Wall (HRVW) MRI sequences have been proposed to assess the stability of the wall, as it permits to detect the presence of aneurysmal wall enhancement (AWE). In fact, AWE has been confirmed due to inflammation, recognizable preceding rupture.Case 1: A 37-year-old woman with a migraine more intense than her usual. A CTA revealed a 10 mm AComA aneurysm without subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) and HRVW-MRI excluded AWE. The patient's headache improved, and therefore, the aneurysm was considered an incidental finding, and the headache diagnosed as TCH attack. Subsequently, the aneurysm was surgically clipped, and typical migraine relapsed was reported at follow-up (FU).Case 2: A 67-year-old woman with no history of headaches underwent CTA for an abrupt onset of headache. A 7 mm right carotid-ophthalmic aneurysm with no sign of SAH was discovered. HRVW-MRI demonstrated AWE and thus, a TCH attack for a warning leak of an unstable wall was suspected. Endovascular coiling was immediately performed and at FU any further headache attack was reported. CONCLUSIONS HRVW-MRI is useful in case of finding aneurysm as the cause of headaches, particularly the TCH attack. In fact, HRVW-MRI could assess the stability of the aneurysms wall, allowing different patient management and eventually the aneurysmal treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arianna Rustici
- Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine (DIMES), University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Elena Merli
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences (DIBINEM), University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Sabina Cevoli
- IRCCS Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna, UOC Clinica Neurologica - Rete Neurologica Metropolitana (NeuroMet), Bologna, Italia
| | - Marco Di Donato
- Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine (DIMES), University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Giulia Pierangeli
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences (DIBINEM), University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy.,IRCCS Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna, UOC Clinica Neurologica - Rete Neurologica Metropolitana (NeuroMet), Bologna, Italia
| | - Valentina Favoni
- IRCCS Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna, UOC Clinica Neurologica - Rete Neurologica Metropolitana (NeuroMet), Bologna, Italia
| | - Carlo Bortolotti
- IRCCS Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna, UOC di Neurochirurgia, Bologna, Italia
| | - Carmelo Sturiale
- IRCCS Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna, UOC di Neurochirurgia, Bologna, Italia
| | - Pietro Cortelli
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences (DIBINEM), University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy.,IRCCS Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna, UOC Clinica Neurologica - Rete Neurologica Metropolitana (NeuroMet), Bologna, Italia
| | - Luigi Cirillo
- Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine (DIMES), University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy.,IRCCS Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna, UOC di Neuroradiologia, Bologna, Italia
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