title: Clinical significance of dilated Virchow-Robin spaces in mild traumatic brain injury.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the relationship between the number of dilated Virchow-Robin spaces (VRS) and neurocognitive findings in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI).
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-eight patients with TBI and 21 controls were studied.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifteen patients underwent MRI within a mean interval of 5.4 (range 1-12) days from the brain injury and 23 after an average period of 5.5 (range 0.2-31) years. All subjects were examined with a battery of 13 neuropsychological tests (NP).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The average number of VRS was significantly higher in patients than in controls. There were no significant differences between patients and controls in terms of NP tests. The number of VRS showed a significant inverse correlation with processing speed and a positive correlation with visual perceptual of attention only in patients studied within a short delay of trauma.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  VRS are not directly associated to neurocognitive findings, suggesting that they may represent a result of the shear-strain injury.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, New York University School of Medicine, NY 10016, USA. matilde.inglese@med.nyu.edu
authors.forename: Matilde
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Inglese
authors.forename: Robert I
authors.initials: RI
authors.lastname: Grossman
authors.forename: Leonard
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Diller
authors.forename: James S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Babb
authors.forename: Oded
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Gonen
authors.forename: Jonathan M A
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Silver
authors.forename: Henry
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Rusinek
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests