Cerebral cavernous malformations (cavernomas): MRI features

Typical MRI features

• Cavernomas typically demonstrate a popcorn appearance on MRI
• They are circumscribed lobulated areas
• They have a reticulated heterogeneous signal intensity core
• There is blooming on gradient recalled echo/SWI and DWI sequences
• There is mixed signal on DWI sequences
• There are associated venous malformations in 30% of lesions
• The venous drainage may be solitary or multiple
• There are large outflow vessels
• There are white matter hyperintensities

References

1. Kuroedov D, Cunha B, Pamplona J, Castillo M, Ramalho J. Cerebral cavernous malformations: typical and atypical imaging characteristics. J Neuroimaging 2022 (Online ahead of print).
2. Dammann P, Wrede KH, Maderwald S, et al. The venous angioarchitecture of sporadic cerebral cavernous malformations: a susceptibility weighted imaging study at 7 T MRI. JNNP 2013; 84:194-200.
3. Golden MJ, Morrison LA, Kim H, Hart BL. Increased number of white matter lesions in patients with familial cerebral cavernous malformations. Am J Neuroradiol 2015; 36:899-903.
4. Strickland CD, Eberhardt SC, Bartlett MR, et al. Familial cerebral cavernous malformations are associated with adrenal calcifications on CT scans: an imaging biomarker for a hereditary cerebrovascular condition. Radiology 2017; 284:443-450.
5. Sun I, Pamir MN. Spinal cavernomas: outcome of surgically treated 10 patients. Front Neurol 2017; 8:672. 
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Related checklists

• Cerebral cavernous malformations (cavernomas): CT features
• Cerebral cavernous malformations (cavernomas): surgical excision
• Cerebral cavernous malformations (cavernomas): non-surgical treatments