Tortuosity of the white matter medullary arterioles is related to the severity of hypertension.
BACKGROUND
The clinical implication of the tortuosity of white matter medullary arterioles has never been clarified precisely. We quantitatively investigated the relationship between such vascular tortuosity and the severity of hypertension (HT), which was graded according to the WHO classification.


METHODS
Forty-seven autopsied brains with age-adjusted stages of HT were evaluated. The largest tortuosity diameter and the largest vascular diameter in the same tortuous lesion were measured by light microscopic observation at the level of the corona radiata and centrum semiovale. A maximum ratio of these diameters was calculated for each patient.


RESULTS
Maximum ratios were found in almost all arterioles and were significantly increased according to the HT stages.


CONCLUSIONS
Arteriolar tortuosity in the hemispheric white matter may reflect the severity of HT and be an indicator of hypertensive small vessel disease of the brain.
Hiroki
Masahiko
M
Department of Neurology, Tokyo Metropolitan Neurological Hospital, Fuchu, Tokyo, Japan. CYI101752@nifty.ne.jp
Miyashita
Kotaro
K
Oda
Masaya
M
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001160:Arterioles / Q000473:pathology*; D001344:Autopsy; D001921:Brain / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D007564:Japan; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013223:Statistics as Topic