Characterization of cerebral microangiopathy using 3 Tesla MRI: Correlation with neurological impairment and vascular risk factors

AbstractPurposeTo investigate whether clinical and neuropsychological impairment in cerebral small‐vessel disease (CSVD) can be evaluated by means of morphological magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).Materials and MethodsMRI at 3 Tesla in T2‐ and T1‐weighted sequences was evaluated in 44 patients with cerebral microangiopathy, and 30 patients with combined cerebral micro‐ and macroangiopathy. The MR characteristics were correlated to clinical data, attentional impairment, and the patients' individual vascular risk factor profiles. Fifteen healthy age‐matched control subjects participated in the study to assess MR signal changes in nonhypertensive elderly subjects.ResultsPatients and normal controls differed significantly in the extent of MR signal changes. A close relation between age, obesity, hypertension, and MR signal abnormalities was evident in all patients. Patients with pure CSVD additionally showed an association between their MR‐defined severity of disease and their degree of neurological impairment, and their vascular risk score. In contrast, attentional impairment did not relate to the MR‐defined severity of CSVD.ConclusionMR signal changes in CSVD show a close relationship to some risk factors of individual patients. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2002;15:1–7.