Middle cerebral artery territory in ASPECTS study

Case contributed by Subash Thapa
Diagnosis not applicable

A. CT Axial slice at the level of thalamus and basal ganglion which includes 4 deep and 3 cortical territories.

B. CT Axial slice at the level adjacent to the most superior margin of the ganglionic structures which includes 3 cortical MCA territories.

Case Discussion

A. CT axial slice at the level of the thalami and basal ganglia 1 (Includes 4 deep* and 3 cortical territories):

  • C - caudate head*
  • LN - lentiform nucleus*
  • IC - internal capsule*
  • I - insular cortex*
  • M1 - anterior MCA cortex
  • M2 - MCA cortex lateral to the insular ribbon
  • M3 - posterior MCA cortex

("A" - anterior circulation, "P" - posterior circulation)

B. CT axial slice at the level adjacent to the most superior margin of the ganglionic structures 1 (Includes 3 cortical territories):

  • M4, M5, M6 - anterior, lateral and posterior MCA territories, respectively (approximately 2 cm superior to M1, M2 and M3 respectively)

Practical points:

  • total of 10 MCA territories are defined, where each area equals to 1 point 1
  • normal CT scan received an ASPECTS of 10 points 1
  • a score of <7 is equal to one-third of the MCA territory 1
  • a score of zero indicates diffuse ischemia involvement throughout the MCA territory 1

How to use cases

You can use Radiopaedia cases in a variety of ways to help you learn and teach.

Creating your own cases is easy.

Updating… Please wait.

 Unable to process the form. Check for errors and try again.

 Thank you for updating your details.