MRI of cerebral microhemorrhages

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this pictorial essay is to discuss the differential diagnosis of cerebral microhemorrhages on T2*-weighted gradient-echo MRI.

Conclusion: Cerebral amyloid angiopathy and chronic systemic hypertension are the two most common causes of cerebral microhemorrhages. Less common causes include diffuse axonal injury, cerebral embolism, cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy, multiple cavernous malformations, vasculitis, hemorrhagic micrometastasis, radiation vasculopathy, and Parry-Romberg syndrome.