The feasibility of using susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI) in a clinical setting was assessed for quantifying leptomeningeal collateralization. Eighteen patients with stroke and acute infarction underwent diffusion-weighted imaging, SWI, perfusion-weighted imaging, and magnetic resonance angiography within 3 days after symptom onset. Lesions were evaluated by the Alberta Stroke Program Early CT score (ASPECTS), based on mean transit time, SWI, and cerebral blood volume (CBV). For evaluating

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... ischemic penumbra and leptomeningeal collateralization, the SWI-ASPECTS significantly correlated, respectively, with mean transit time and CBV-ASPECTS (Spearman test, r = 0.793 and 0.682; P < .001, both). The SWI may be useful to quantify leptomeningeal collateralization in patients with acute cerebral infarction. Abbreviations: ASPECTS = the Alberta Stroke Program Early CT score, CBV = cerebral blood volume, CT = computed tomography, DWI = diffusion-weighted imaging, MRA = magnetic resonance angiography, MRI = magnetic resonance imaging, mRS = modified Rankin scale, MTT = mean transit time, NIHSS = National Institutes of Health Stroke scale, PWI = perfusionweighted imaging, RtPA = recombinant tissue plasminogen activator, SWI = susceptibility-weighted imaging.