The blood-brain barrier disruption after syncope: a dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging study: A case report

RATIONALE: Using dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI), we demonstrated blood-brain barrier (BBB) disruption following syncope. PATIENT CONCERNS: A 45-year-old man experienced syncope with a chief complaint of syncope (duration: 1 minutes), 1 day before visiting a university hospital for examination. He had no history of medical problems and was not taking any medications. This episode was the first in his lifetime. DIAGNOSES: After syncope, the patient did not have any illnesses or symptoms, such as headache, cognitive deficits, or somnolence. INTERVENTIONS: Cardiac evaluation did not reveal any abnormal findings. In addition, in conventional brain and chest computed tomography and brain MRI, no abnormal lesions were observed. OUTCOMES: DCE-MRI of the patient showed bright blue colored lines within the sulci throughout the cerebral cortex. The regions of interest, including bright blue colored lines, had significantly higher K(trans) values (6.86 times higher) than those in healthy control participants. These findings are indicative of BBB disruption of the vessels in the sulci. LESSONS: Using DCE-MRI, we demonstrated BBB disruption following syncope. DCE-MRI is a useful tool for the detection of BBB disruption following syncope.