[Occlusive cerebrovascular disease without angiographic evidence of stenosis of cerebral arteries (author's transl)].

The angiographs of patients suffering from transient ischaemic attacks and ischaemic strokes were reviewed. No clinical data were given to the examiners and their diagnoses were then compared with the case histories. In 33 out of 69 patients the angiographs showed no arterial stenosis in the area corresponding to the neurological deficit. However, in this group of patients the incidence of elongation and dilatation of the arteries was significantly higher than in the group with visible stenosis. Among the patients without visible stenoses there was also a significantly higher incidence of hypertension, especially with an elevation of the diastolic blood pressure, and of symptoms related to the brain stem. The possibility is discussed that a special form of occlusive cerebrovascular disease exists, whereby the characteristic angiographic features are not circumscribed stenoses, but a generalized elongation and dilatation of the arteries. Neurological deficits may be caused by occlusion of the minor cerebral vessels which cannot be detected by angiography.