title: Brain magnetic resonance imaging and neuropsychologic evaluation of patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy.
abstract: We compared brain magnetic resonance imaging and neuropsychologic performance in 20 neurologically asymptomatic patients suffering from idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (mean age 41 [range 18-49] years) and 20 age-matched controls (mean age 38 [range 28-49] years). Patients exhibited a significantly higher rate of cerebral infarcts (20% versus 0%, p less than 0.05) and cortical (50% versus 5%, p less than 0.01) and ventricular (55% versus 15%, p less than 0.02) atrophy than controls. Accordingly, semiquantitative volumetric measurements yielded a significantly increased ventricular-to-intracranial cavity ratio in the patients (6.2 +/- 2.9% versus 4.1 +/- 1.3%, p less than 0.01). This ratio and the cortical atrophy ratings correlated positively with disease duration (r = 0.63 and 0.54, p less than 0.05). Cognitive test performance was significantly worse in patients than in controls and was most impaired in those patients with morphologic cerebral abnormalities.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Karl Franzens University, Graz, Austria.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Schmidt
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Fazekas
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Offenbacher
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dusleag
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lechner
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001284:Atrophy; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology*; D002311:Cardiomyopathy, Dilated / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D002544:Cerebral Infarction / Q000150:complications; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests