Intracranial cavernous hemangiomas: comparison of MRI and CT

We retrospectively analyzed the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings of 11 lesions of histologically verified intracranial cavernous hemangiomas in 10 patients and compared the MRI and CT findings in 6 patients. The location of the tumor were the cerebral subcortical white matter (5 lesions), periventricular white matter (3 lesions), and others (3 lesions). The size of the lesions ranged from 1.0 to 6.0 cm in diameter. On MRI the central portion revealed multicompartments (10 lesions) with irregular border (7 lesions), the signal intensity of which consisted of a mixture of various intensities suggesting the presence of hematomas in different stages (10 lesions). A peripheral black rim representing hemosiderin deposition was observed in 10 lesions, which appeared more hypointense and broader on the T2-weighted image than on the T1-weighted image. The shape of the black rim was partially circumferential (6 lesions), completely circumferential (2 lesions), and eccentric (2 lesions). The border of the black rim was well circumscribed (5 lesions), smudgy (4 lesions), or mixed (1 lesion). Its thickness varied, ranging from 0 mm to 12 mm. The central portion was enhanced slightly in 4 lesions and moderately in 1 lesion on Gd-DTPA enhanced study in 6 patients. The CT density of the lesion was hyperdense in 5 lesions and mixed hyper-and hypodense in 2 lesions. The hyperdense and hypodense areas on CT corresponded to the multicompartmented portions with mixed signal intensity on MRI, representing hemorrhages of different stages. The CT density of the black rim seen on MRI was usually isodense with the brain parenchyme (6 lesions)