Leukoaraiosis
Leukoaraiosis[1] is a term for nonspecific changes in the cerebral white matter that can be detected with high frequency by CT and MRI in aged individuals. The term leukoaraiosis was first coined in 1986[2][3] as a descriptive term for rarefaction ("araiosis") of the white matter, showing up as decreased density on CT and increased intensity on T2/FLAIR sequences performed as part of MRI brain scans. These white matter changes are also commonly referred to as periventricular white matter disease, or white matter hyperintensities (WMH) due to its bright white appearance on T2 MRI scans. Many patients can have leukoaraiosis without any associated clinical abnormality. However, underlying vascular mechanisms are suspected to be the cause of the imaging findings. Hypertension, smoking, diabetes, hyperhomocysteinemia, and heart disease are all risk factors for leukoaraiosis. The abnormalities are thought to be caused by multiple small vessel infarcts in the sub cortical white matter, often the result of chronic hypertension leading to lipohyalinosis of the small vessels. Patients may develop subcortical dementia syndrome.[4]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ O'Sullivan, M. (2008). "Leukoaraiosis". Practical Neurology 8 (1): 26–38. doi:10.1136/jnnp.2007.139428. PMID 18230707.
- ^ Hachinski, VC; Potter, P; Merskey, H (1986). "Leuko-araiosis: An ancient term for a new problem". The Canadian journal of neurological sciences 13 (4 Suppl): 533–4. PMID 3791068.
- ^ Hachinski, V. C.; Potter, P.; Merskey, H. (1987). "Leuko-Araiosis". Archives of Neurology 44 (1): 21–3. doi:10.1001/archneur.1987.00520130013009. PMID 3800716.
- ^ Fauci, Anthony S.; Braunwald, Eugene; Weiner, Charles; Kasper, Dennis L.; Hauser, Stephen L.; Longo, Dan L.; Jameson, J. Larry; Loscalzo, Joseph (2008). Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine (17th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill. ISBN 978-0-07-149619-3.[page needed]
[edit] Further reading
- Pantoni, L.; Garcia, J. H. (1995). "The Significance of Cerebral White Matter Abnormalities 100 Years After Binswanger's Report : A Review". Stroke 26 (7): 1293–301. doi:10.1161/01.STR.26.7.1293. PMID 7604429.
- Pantoni, L; Inzitari, D (1998). "New clinical relevance of leukoaraiosis. European Task Force on Age-Related White Matter-Changes". Stroke 29 (2): 543. PMID 9472903.
- Werder, SF (2010). "Cobalamin deficiency, hyperhomocysteinemia, and dementia". Neuropsychiatric disease and treatment 6: 159–95. PMC 2874340. PMID 20505848. http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pmcentrez&artid=2874340.
