Cerebrovascular Reactivity Measured with Arterial Spin Labeling MRI in the Caudate Nucleus, Lentiform Nucleus & Thalamus in Patients with Steno-Occlusive Internal Carotid Artery Disease

Nolan S. Hartkamp¹, R. P. H. Bokkers¹, H. B. van der Worp², M. J. P. van Osch³, J. Hendrikse¹

Lacunar infarcts are small lesions in the deep white matter, basal ganglia or brainstem. It is hypothesized that this is a manifestation of small vessel disease and that it has a different pathogenesis than cortical stroke. An association is suggested with impaired hemodynamic autoregulation. It was previously shown that steno-occlusive internal carotid artery disease leads to hemodynamic impairement of the brain. We investigate the impact of large vessel disease upon the autoregulative hemodynamics in the deep brain structures by investigating cerebrovascular reactivity in subcortical regions in patients with steno-occlusive internal carotid artery disease and compare this with healthy control subjects.