Thirty patients with acute cerebrovascular disease were evaluated by both computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. The 17 patients with cerebral infarction (CI) were evaluated within 24 hours and the 13 with intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) within 6 hours of the onset of symp toms. All ICHs were detected in T2-weighted images and appeared as perifocal, ring-like areas of high signal intensity. T2-weighted images also demonstrated a ruptured aneurysm and an arteriovenous

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... mation. In T1-weighted images, all ICHs displayed high signal intensity, which paralleled the CT images and is characteristic of MR imaging with an ultra-low magnetic field. These findings were obtained as early as 90 minutes from the onset of symptoms. In cases of CI, T2-weighted images obtained 3-7 hours after onset demonstrated the pathology more clearly than did CT. This study proved MR imaging useful in the evaluation of both ICH and CI in the acute stage. In addition, it was possible to differentiate ICH from CI in the acute stage by T2-weighted images alone.