• Naidong Wang, Qimin Hu, Qiaoshu Wang, Jinglong Zhao, Nikita Dedhia, and Louis R Caplan.
• Department of Neurology, The affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, Shandong, China.
• J Neuroimaging. 2017 Sep 1; 27 (5): 505-510.

PurposeTo identify thrombi in patients with posterior circulation large artery occlusion using susceptibility-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).MethodsAll patients hospitalized with intracranial posterior circulation occlusion from January 2003 to September 2013 were included. MRI and computed tomography angiography were reviewed to determine the presence of arterial occlusion and identify thrombi. Eighty-one patients were analyzed to investigate susceptibility vessel sign (SVS) that was identified as blooming artifact (BA) on T2*-weighted gradient echo imaging.ResultsWe identified 21 of 63 (33.3%) patients with BA in symptomatic patients, and 1 of 18 (5.6%) in the asymptomatic group with significant difference (P = .019). BAs were found in 6 of 10 (60.0%) patients with cardioembolism, 5 of 13 (38.5%) with dissection, 9 of 34 (26.5%) with large artery atherosclerotic disease, and 1 of 6 (16.7%) with undetermined cause.ConclusionIdentifying SVS may be useful in exploring the fresh thrombi and the mechanism of posterior circulation stroke.Copyright © 2017 by the American Society of Neuroimaging.

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