Cerebral magnetic resonance T2 high intensities in end-stage renal disease.
OBJECTIVE
The pathophysiological mechanisms that cause cerebral MR T2 high intensities in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) are unclear. We evaluated the incidence and the risk factors of T2-weighted MR brain high intensities in patients with ESRD.


METHODS
We examined the degree of T2-weighted MR brain high intensities (high intensity score) and determined the variables that had an independent association with the occurrence of high intensities in 38 patients with ESRD before chronic dialysis treatment, 173 patients with essential hypertension, and 72 normotensive control subjects.


RESULTS
The whole brain high intensity score was significantly higher in patients with ESRD than in the control subjects, but there was no significant difference in high intensity score between the ESRD and the hypertensive groups. Age, hypertension, and smoking were significant independent predictors of high intensities in a multiple logistic regression model. The distribution pattern of high intensities in ESRD patients was very similar to that obtained from hypertensive patients; the high intensity score was highest in the corona radiata and was lowest in the cerebellum.


CONCLUSIONS
T2 high intensities on MR images of ESRD may reflect subcortical small-vessel alterations induced by hypertension.
Suzuki
M
M
Department of Internal Medicine, Osaka National Hospital, Japan.
Wada
A
A
Isaka
Y
Y
Maki
K
K
Inoue
T
T
Fukuhara
Y
Y
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000175:diagnosis; D007676:Kidney Failure, Chronic / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D012016:Reference Values; D012307:Risk Factors