System: Forensic Pathology: Brain: : Cerebral amyloid angiopathy
Case 1, image 1: This 93-year-old female died as a result of spontaneous hemorrhage in her brain due to amyloidosis of her cerebral arteries.
Case 1, image 2: There are amyloid deposits in small to medium-sized blood vessels of the brain. The deposits weaken the blood vessel walls with resultant hemorrhage.
Cerebral amyloid angiopathy is age-dependent and may be a cause of lobar intraparenchymal hemorrhage. Sometimes, CAA may occur in association with Alzheimer disease or as a familial syndrome.
Cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA), although usually asymptomatic, is an important cause of primary lobar intracerebral hemorrhage in the elderly [1,2]. It can occur as a sporadic disorder, sometimes in association with Alzheimer disease (AD), or as a certain familial syndrome. CAA is characterized by the deposition of congophilic material in small to medium-sized blood vessels of the brain and leptomeninges. In its most severe stages, the amyloid deposits cause breakdown of the blood vessel wall with resultant hemorrhage