Evolving Pediatric Cerebral Arteriopathy On Neuroimaging

Cerebral inflammatory arteriopathies can be either focal [such as unilateral Focal Cerebral Arteriopathy (FCA), Transient Cerebral Arteriopathy of Childhood (TCA), Post-Varicella Angiopathy (PVAR) or other idiopathic stenosis] or diffuse [such as Primary Angiitis of the Central Nervous System (PACNS) or secondary angiitis of the central nervous system secondary to other systemic inflammatory vasculitides]. The distinctions between primary angiitis of the central nervous system and transient cerebral arteriopathy are sometimescontroversial. 

The transient cerebral arteriopathy is generally considered to be a unilateral self-limiting monophasic, presumably inflammatory, arteriopathy with lack of progression beyond six months. Primary angiitis of the central nervous system is a diffuse and progressive inflammatory vasculitis of central nervous system. While the pathophysiologic cause remains elusive, it is hypothesized that the inflammatory changes in the medium and small sized arteries lead to occlusion or stenosis of the affected arteries or their branches with resultant thromboembolism and cerebral ischemia. Read more................