Fig. 3. Radiologic and histopathologic analysis of bithalamic infarcts. (A ) Coronal diffusion-weighted imaging sequence through the thalami demonstrates bithalamic diffusion restriction as well as right pontine infarct (apparent diffusion coefficient map not shown). (B ) Fixed brain demonstrates gross evidence of bithalamic necrosis and microhemorrhages. (C ) Luxol fast blue with hematoxylin and eosin staining of thalamic section demonstrates small, irregular discrete areas of acute infarction. (D ) Axonal spheroids are present in the surrounding thalamus adjacent to the lesions, consistent with ischemic injury (black arrows ). The combination of small, distinct regions of infarction in (C ) with axonal spheroids in (D ) confirms that the ischemic lesions occurred because of occlusion of distal vascular beds, consistent with the hypothesis of microembolization.