title: Age-related signal intensity changes in the corpus callosum: assessment with three orthogonal FLAIR images.
abstract: The presence of age-related hyperintensities of the corpus callosum has not been thoroughly evaluated. Fifty-two patients of 50 years of age or older (mean, 71 years; range, 50-87 years) were included in this study. Fluid-attenuated inversion recovery images were obtained in three orthogonal planes. Periventricular hyperintensities (PVHs) and deep white matter hyperintensities (DWMHs) were graded according to Fazekas' rating scale. Correlations between the presence of hyperintensities in the corpus callosum and age, and the grade of PVH and DWMH were statistically analyzed. PVH was categorized as grade 0 (n=4), grade 1 (n=28), grade 2 (n=10), or grade 3 (n=10). DWMH was categorized as grade 0 (n=4), grade 1 (n=25), grade 2 (n=8), or grade 3 (n=15). Hyperintensity was considered present in the corpus callosum in 31 of the 52 patients (60%). In these 31 patients, PVH was categorized as grade 1 (n=16), grade 2 (n=7), or grade 3 (n=8), while DWMH was categorized as grade 0 (n=1), grade 1 (n=10), grade 2 (n=7), or grade 3 (n=13). The presence of callosal hyperintensities was significantly correlated with age (p=0.001), and with PVH (p=0.04) and DWMH grades (p=0.004). Hyperintensities may be present in the corpus callosum with aging, and are correlated with PVH and DWMH.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine and Diagnostic Imaging, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, 54 Kawahara-cho, Shogoin, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto-shi, Kyoto, 606-8507, Japan.
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.forename: Yukio
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Miki
authors.forename: Hidekazu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tomimoto
authors.forename: Mitsunori
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kanagaki
authors.forename: Takahiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: Yasutaka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Fushimi
authors.forename: Junya
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Konishi
authors.forename: Tabassum
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Laz Haque
authors.forename: Kaori
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Togashi
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003337:Corpus Callosum / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D049292:Leukoaraiosis / Q000473:pathology*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged