MRI brain of a 30-year-old man with recurrent headaches shows a well-circumscribed lesion in the right parietal lobe with a heterogeneous 'popcorn' core of blood products in various stages and a complete rim of hypointense signal on gradient echo sequences with marked blooming. There is no surrounding oedema or mass effect. The most likely diagnosis is:
- A Arteriovenous malformation
- B Cavernous malformation ✓
- C Capillary telangiectasia
- D Developmental venous anomaly
Correct answer: B. Cavernous malformation
Explanation
The popcorn appearance with a complete haemosiderin rim showing blooming on gradient echo, absent oedema and no large feeding vessels is characteristic of cavernous malformation. An arteriovenous malformation would show enlarged flow voids of feeding arteries and draining veins, while capillary telangiectasia shows faint brush-like enhancement without a haemosiderin rim.
Reference: Osborn's Brain, 2nd ed.
High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP
Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.