LAUSR

Susceptibility-weighted angiography (SWAN) sequence revealed in an infective endocarditis (IE) patient, 2 intracranial infectious aneurysms (IIAs) as bright signal lesion, related to the high-velocity arterial flow within the IIAs. In addition, SWAN revealed the convexal subarachnoid hemorrhage -related to distal IIAs rupture - as a dark signal. The risk of rupture emphasizes the need of repeated imaging follow-up in IE patients under antibiotic therapy, after endovascular treatment and after valve surgery. Considering its specific risks, particularly in IE patients who may be on anticoagulation, DSA is not used routinely in this context. This observation suggest that SWAN might be an alternative method for selecting IE patients who need conventional angiography and might be useful for serial follow-up and posttreatment monitoring. Further studies should investigate the role of SWAN for the detection of IIAs.