Magnetic resonance imaging of cerebral cavernous angiomas.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) proved to be far superior to computed tomography and angiography in detecting cavernous angiomas in 55 patients, with a total of 72 lesions. A cavernous angioma usually appears as a nodular lesion with a relatively short T1 and long T2, circumscribed by a hypointense ring. The MR signal varies according to histopathologic components. Usually, no significant mass effect is detected. Sometimes a rim of edema or gliosis is present (long T2). When a massive bleeding is present, differential diagnosis from chronic hematoma of other origin is not always easy, but may be possible from the clinical presentation and some MR findings.