Cross-sectional imaging for diagnosis and clinical outcome prediction of acute basilar artery thrombosis

Basilar artery occlusion is a potentially fatal condition and imaging findings can be subtle. Prompt diagnosis is vital, as recognition may lead to therapeutic recanalization that may improve functional outcome and survival. Furthermore, cross-sectional imaging signs may help predict eventual outcome and, therefore, guide which patients should be subjected to aggressive treatment. Computed tomography (CT) signs include a hyperdense basilar artery that has a high specificity, accuracy, positive and negative predictive value. Evidence regarding the prognostic significance of the hyperdense basilar artery sign is conflicting. Early magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features include loss of flow void, seen as increased signal intensity within the basilar artery on T2-weigted images and identification of acute thrombus, seen as intermediate signal on T1-weighted images. MRI sequences are more sensitive for early detection of acute ischaemia or infarction, ideally with diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI). Both CT and MR angiography are sensitive for detection of acute thrombus, seen as a filling defect or occlusion. These are the non-invasive imaging techniques of choice to confirm diagnosis, with perhaps the speed and accessibility of CT angiography resulting in this technique being valuable in the acute setting. Several new scoring systems based on arterial segmentation rather than global volume assessment using CT angiography source images and DWI have shown early promise in the prediction of eventual clinical outcome in order to isolate those patients who may benefit from therapeutic recanalization.