Cerebral artery thrombosis and intramural hemorrhage.

Thirty-nine thrombosed arterial segments of the branches of the circle of Willis were studied by a complete serial section technique. Twenty-two patients had been hypertensive and 8 had hypercholesterolemia before the onset of cerebral artery thrombosis. The histological characteristics of the thrombosed arterial segments were intramural hemorrhage in 28 segments, superficial edema of the fibrous cap of the atheroma of fibrous plaque in 4, rupture of the atheromatous plaque in 1, superficial accumulation of foam cells in the atheroma in 1 and an atheroma or fibrous plaque without any other changes in 5. They were many intramural small blood vessels in the atheroma or fibrous plaques of 22 segments with intramural hemorrhage. Fibrinoid degeneration of these small blood vessels was noted in 5. These findings suggested that intramural hemorrhage from the intramural small blood vessels was the major cause of cerebral artery thrombosis and that persistent hypertension not only promoted cerebral atherosclerosis but also induced hemorrhage from the intramural small blood vessels.