Frontal avascularity: an angiographic observation in frontal lobe tumors.

The diagnosis of an expanding intracranial lesion by means of angiography is dependent on the disposition of the cerebral blood vessels and/or the demonstration of an abnormal vascular pattern. In cases in which the presence of a tumor is indicated by the displacement of cerebral arteries, a zone of avascularity, usually in the arterial phase, may also be evident. This commonly leads to speculation as to the type of tumor present. In this paper, however, we are not concerned with avascularity as an indication of the possible nature of the underlying lesion but wish, instead, to call attention to a phenomenon that may be observed in the presence of space-occupying lesions within the anterior cranial cavity. We have noted that not infrequently in cases of frontal lobe tumor there is a paucity of visible blood vessels in the frontal region in the postarterial phase of the arteriographic study. This phenomenon has been especially apparent with the use of an automatic rapid film-changer which provides more det...