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Susceptibility‐Weighted Imaging in Neurodegenerative Disorders: A Review
Author(s) -
Sotoudeh Houman,
Sarrami Amir Hossein,
Wang Jianxiong,
Saadatpour Zahra,
Razaei Ali,
Gaddamanugu Siddhartha,
Choudhary Gagandeep,
Shafaat Omid,
Singhal Aparna
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of neuroimaging
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.822
H-Index - 64
eISSN - 1552-6569
pISSN - 1051-2284
DOI - 10.1111/jon.12841
Subject(s) - susceptibility weighted imaging , medicine , neuroimaging , dementia , amyotrophic lateral sclerosis , context (archaeology) , neuroscience , cerebral amyloid angiopathy , disease , magnetic resonance imaging , pathology , radiology , psychiatry , psychology , biology , paleontology
As human life expectancy increases, there is an increased prevalence of neurodegenerative disorders and dementia. There are many ongoing research trials for early diagnosis and management of dementia, and neuroimaging is a critical part of such studies. However, conventional neuroimaging often fails to provide enough diagnostic findings in patients with neurodegenerative disorders. In this context, different MRI sequences are currently under investigation to facilitate the accurate diagnosis of such disorders. Susceptibility‐weighted imaging (SWI) is an innovative MRI technique that utilizes “magnitude” and “phase” images to produce an image contrast that is sensitive for the detection of susceptibility differences of the tissues. As many neurodegenerative disorders are associated with accelerated iron deposition and/or microhemorrhages in different parts of the brain, SWI can be applied to detect these diagnostic clues. For instance, in cerebral amyloid angiopathy, SWI can demonstrate cortical microhemorrhages, which are predominantly in the frontal and parietal regions. Or in Parkinson disease, abnormal swallow‐tail sign on high‐resolution SWI is highly diagnostic. Also, SWI is a useful sequence to detect the low signal intensity of precentral cortices in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Being familiar with SWI findings in neurodegenerative disorders is critical for an accurate diagnosis. In this paper, the authors review the technical parameters of SWI, physiologic, and pathologic iron deposition in the brain, and the role of SWI in the evaluation of neurodegenerative disorders in daily practice.