Mineralizing lenticulostriate vasculopathy (MLV) (MLSV) is an ever‐evolving topic in pediatric radiology due to its association with ischemic gangliocapsular infarcts in the setting of minor head trauma. MLSV traditionally is diagnosed incidentally on CT in pediatric patients and is thought to be the end stage result of lenticulostriate vasculopathy. It is conceived that the basal ganglia calcifications weaken the fragile lenticulostriate vessels and that shearing forces imposed from minor trauma can precipitate gangliocapsular infarcts via vasospasm and thrombosis. Due to the rarity of the disease process and overall dearth of literature, it often remains an underdiagnosed condition, which can delay treatment for ischemic infarcts in these patients. We report a case of an 8‐month‐old male who presented with left hemiparesis after sustaining mild head trauma. Initial CT imaging revealed no acute intracranial hemorrhage or mass effect but did demonstrate bilateral basal ganglia calcifciations related to mineralizing lenticulostriate vasculopathy. Due to the presence of the basal ganglia calcifications, a subsequent MRI revealed that the patient sustained an acute right gangliocapsular infarct. This case highlights the importance of the detection of MLSV on CT imaging to ensure that pediatric patients receive a proper stroke workup when evaluated for minor head trauma.
Cohn et al. (Thu,) studied this question.