title: Characterization of cerebral microangiopathy using 3 Tesla MRI: correlation with neurological impairment and vascular risk factors.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate whether clinical and neuropsychological impairment in cerebral small-vessel disease (CSVD) can be evaluated by means of morphological magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
  
  
  METHODS
  MRI 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.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients 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.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  MR signal changes in CSVD show a close relationship to some risk factors of individual patients.
authors.affiliation: Max-Planck Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Leipzig, Germany. hund@cns.mpg.de
authors.forename: Margret
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hund-Georgiadis
authors.forename: Olaf
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Ballaschke
authors.forename: Rainer
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Scheid
authors.forename: David G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Norris
authors.forename: D Yves
authors.initials: DY
authors.lastname: von Cramon
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation / Q000502:physiology; D002561:Cerebrovascular Disorders / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008833:Microcirculation / Q000502:physiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D012307:Risk Factors