BACKGROUND: Conventional magnetic resonance imaging may fail to identify very small but clinically relevant acute subcortical brain infarcts. Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DWI) is very sensitive and specific for acute cerebral ischemia and should contribute to the early detection of such lesions. METHODS: We analyzed 6 patients who presented with acute vertical gaze palsy and in whom DWI was performed within 1-6 days from symptom onset. RESULTS: DWI accurately identified ischemia in an area supplied by the posterior thalamosubthalamic paramedian artery in all patients. T(2)-weighted and FLAIR imaging failed to identify the clinically relevant lesion in 2 and 3 patients, respectively. CONCLUSION: DWI improves the clinicoanatomical correlation in patients presenting with supranuclear oculomotor disturbances. Copyright 2004 S. Karger AG, Basel
BACKGROUND: Conventional magnetic resonance imaging may fail to identify very small but clinically relevant acute subcortical brain infarcts. Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DWI) is very sensitive and specific for acute cerebral ischemia and should contribute to the early detection of such lesions. METHODS: We analyzed 6 patients who presented with acute vertical gaze palsy and in whom DWI was performed within 1-6 days from symptom onset. RESULTS: DWI accurately identified ischemia in an area supplied by the posterior thalamosubthalamic paramedian artery in all patients. T(2)-weighted and FLAIR imaging failed to identify the clinically relevant lesion in 2 and 3 patients, respectively. CONCLUSION: DWI improves the clinicoanatomical correlation in patients presenting with supranuclear oculomotor disturbances. Copyright 2004 S. Karger AG, Basel