[MR study of the brain stem in elderly subjects].
Findings in patients in whom brain stem lesions were suspected were studied by a high-field-strength (1.5 T) MR imager. MR scans were obtained in 97 patients over a 10-month period. The mean age was 71 years (range, 39-94 years). A high incidence of infarction and lesions showing a high signal on T2-weighted image, but an almost normal signal on the T1-weighted image were observed at the pons in elderly cases. Furthermore, cases in which these two findings were observed, had a high incidence of lesion at other regions than pons. Cases with a past history of hypertension had higher incidence of lesions at the pons than normotensive patients (alpha less than 0.01). These findings suggest that MRI examination in the elderly could detect a high incidence abnormal lesions at the brain stem as well as in basal ganglia.
Tanno
M
M
Department of Nuclear Medicine and Radiological Science, Tokyo Metropolitan Geriatric Hospital.
Nakayama
M
M
Kyomatsu
Y
Y
Kawakami
M
M
Mashima
Y
Y
Tanno
S
S
Kasahara
H
H
Chiba
K
K
Endo
K
K
Yamada
H
H
D000368:Aged; D001479:Basal Ganglia / Q000473:pathology; D001933:Brain Stem / Q000473:pathology*; D002544:Cerebral Infarction / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000150:complications; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009849:Olivopontocerebellar Atrophies / Q000175:diagnosis*