Dense artery sign

{{Short description|Pattern seen in radiologic examinations}}

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|image = ThrombusRtMCAM1Mark.png

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|caption = CT scan without intravenous contrast showing hyperdense aspect of the right middle cerebral artery, indicating thrombus within the vessel

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|differential = ischemic stroke

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In medicine, the dense artery sign or hyperdense artery sign is an increased radiodensity of an artery as seen on computer tomography (CT) scans, and is a radiologic sign of early ischemic stroke.{{cite journal |vauthors=Bakshi R, Mazziotta JC |title=Acute middle cerebral artery thrombosis demonstrated by cranial computed tomography: the "dense MCA" sign |journal=Arch. Neurol. |volume=55 |issue=12 |pages=1577 |date=December 1998 |pmid=9865804 |doi=10.1001/archneur.55.12.1577 |url=http://archneur.ama-assn.org/cgi/pmidlookup?view=long&pmid=9865804 |url-access=subscription }}{{Dead link|date=July 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} In earlier studies of medical imaging in patients with strokes, it was the earliest sign of ischemic stroke in a significant minority of cases.{{cite journal |vauthors=Schuknecht B, Ratzka M, Hofmann E |title=The "dense artery sign"--major cerebral artery thromboembolism demonstrated by computed tomography |journal=Neuroradiology |volume=32 |issue=2 |pages=98–103 |year=1990 |pmid=2398948 |doi= 10.1007/BF00588557}} Its appearance portends a poor prognosis for the patient.{{cite journal |vauthors=Zorzon M, Masè G, Pozzi-Mucelli F, etal |title=Increased density in the middle cerebral artery by nonenhanced computed tomography. Prognostic value in acute cerebral infarction |journal=Eur. Neurol. |volume=33 |issue=3 |pages=256–9 |year=1993 |pmid=8467850 |doi= 10.1159/000116949}}{{cite journal |vauthors=Launes J, Ketonen L |title=Dense middle cerebral artery sign: an indicator of poor outcome in middle cerebral artery area infarction |journal=J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatry |volume=50 |issue=11 |pages=1550–2 |date=November 1987 |pmid=3694213 |pmc=1032575 |doi= 10.1136/jnnp.50.11.1550|url=}}

The sign has been observed in the middle cerebral artery (MCA), posterior cerebral artery (PCA),{{cite journal |vauthors=Bettle N, Lyden PD |title=Thrombosis of the posterior cerebral artery (PCA) visualized on computed tomography: the dense PCA sign |journal=Arch. Neurol. |volume=61 |issue=12 |pages=1960–1 |date=December 2004 |pmid=15596621 |doi=10.1001/archneur.61.12.1960 |url=http://archneur.ama-assn.org/cgi/pmidlookup?view=long&pmid=15596621 |url-access=subscription }}{{Dead link|date=July 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} vertebral artery, and basilar artery;{{cite journal |vauthors=Bodensteiner JB, Reitter BF, Sheth RD |title=Basilar artery occlusion and the dense artery sign in the newborn |journal=Clin Pediatr (Phila) |volume=37 |issue=9 |pages=551–4 |date=September 1998 |pmid=9773238 |doi= 10.1177/000992289803700905}} these have been called the dense MCA sign, dense PCA sign, dense vertebral artery sign, and dense basilar artery sign, respectively.

Rarely, a hypodense artery sign can occur due to fat embolism.Lee TC, Bartlett ES, Fox AJ, Symons SP. The hypodense artery sign. American Journal of Neuroradiology. 2005 September; 26(8):2027-2029.