title: Cerebellar Cortical Infarct Cavities: Correlation With Risk Factors and MRI Markers of Cerebrovascular Disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Small cerebellar infarct cavities have been recently found on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to preferentially involve the cerebellar cortex, but epidemiological studies are lacking. We aimed to determine the prevalence and risk factor profiles of cerebellar cortical infarct cavities (≤1.5 cm) as well as their association with MRI markers of cerebrovascular disease and functioning.
  
  
  METHODS
  We analyzed the 1.5 Tesla MRI of 636 patients (mean age, 62±9 years; 81% men) from the Second Manifestations of Arterial Disease-Memory, Depression and Aging (SMART-Medea) study. Logistic regression analyses were performed to estimate the associations of age, sex, vascular risk factors, MRI markers of cerebrovascular disease, and functioning with cerebellar cortical cavities, adjusted for age and sex.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Cerebellar cortical infarct cavities occurred on MRI in 10% of patients and were significantly associated with age, intima-media thickness (odds ratio [OR], 2.0; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.1-3.7), high levels of homocysteinemia (OR, 1.8; 95% CI, 1.0-3.3), cortical infarcts (OR, 2.9; 95% CI, 1.6-5.4), gray matter lacunes of presumed vascular origin (OR, 3.0; 95% CI, 1.6-5.8), brain stem infarcts (OR, 5.1; 95% CI, 1.9-13.6), and decreased brain parenchymal fraction (OR, 0.84; 95% CI, 0.74-0.94), but not with white matter hyperintensities (OR, 1.2; 95% CI, 0.8-1.8) or white matter lacunes of presumed vascular origin (OR, 1.1; 95% CI, 0.5-2.5). They were also associated with worse physical functioning (OR, 0.96; 95% CI, 0.94 to -0.99) [corrected] but not with mental functioning.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Cerebellar cortical infarct cavities are far more common than previously assumed based on symptomatic case series and are associated with markers of atherothromboembolic cerebrovascular disease.
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Radiology(L.J.L.D.C., P.R.L., J.H.) and Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care (R.P.K., Y.v.d.G., M.I.G.), University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands; and Department of Neurology, Sint Franciscus Gasthuis, Rotterdam, The Netherlands (R.P.K.). laurens_de_cocker@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Laurens J L
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: De Cocker
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Radiology(L.J.L.D.C., P.R.L., J.H.) and Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care (R.P.K., Y.v.d.G., M.I.G.), University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands; and Department of Neurology, Sint Franciscus Gasthuis, Rotterdam, The Netherlands (R.P.K.).
authors.forename: Raoul P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Kloppenborg
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Radiology(L.J.L.D.C., P.R.L., J.H.) and Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care (R.P.K., Y.v.d.G., M.I.G.), University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands; and Department of Neurology, Sint Franciscus Gasthuis, Rotterdam, The Netherlands (R.P.K.).
authors.forename: Yolanda
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: van der Graaf
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Radiology(L.J.L.D.C., P.R.L., J.H.) and Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care (R.P.K., Y.v.d.G., M.I.G.), University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands; and Department of Neurology, Sint Franciscus Gasthuis, Rotterdam, The Netherlands (R.P.K.).
authors.forename: Peter R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Luijten
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Radiology(L.J.L.D.C., P.R.L., J.H.) and Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care (R.P.K., Y.v.d.G., M.I.G.), University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands; and Department of Neurology, Sint Franciscus Gasthuis, Rotterdam, The Netherlands (R.P.K.).
authors.forename: Jeroen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hendrikse
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Radiology(L.J.L.D.C., P.R.L., J.H.) and Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care (R.P.K., Y.v.d.G., M.I.G.), University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands; and Department of Neurology, Sint Franciscus Gasthuis, Rotterdam, The Netherlands (R.P.K.).
authors.forename: Mirjam I
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Geerlings
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D020520:Brain Infarction / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000378:metabolism*; D002525:Cerebellar Cortex / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D002561:Cerebrovascular Disorders; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors
keywords: atherosclerosis; brain stem; cerebrovascular disorders; magnetic resonance imaging; white matter