Sequential Magnetic Resonance Imaging of an Intracranial Hematoma in a Dog

An 8-year-old Yorkshire terrier developed acute onset coma and seizure after cranial trauma. Intracranial hemorrhage was suspected from the clinical signs and history. Low-field magnetic resonance (MR) imaging revealed a round mass within the right cerebral hemisphere, compressing the right lateral ventricle and displacing the longitudinal fissure to the left. The lesion was hypointense on T1-weighted images and hyperintense on T2-weighted images, consistent with an acute hemorrhage. MR imaging was performed every 24 h for 6 days from 1 h after the injury, and then on day 14 of hospitalization. With time, the signal intensity changed to hyperintense on Ti-weighted images. On T2-weighted images the center of the mass changed to hypointense, and then to hyperintense with a hypointense rim. These changes of signal intensity were related to hemoglobin oxidation.