Association between Perivascular Spaces and Progression of White Matter Hyperintensities in Lacunar Stroke Patients

Introduction: Enlarge perivascular spaces (EPVS) are a common finding on MRI with little known about their aetiology or clinical significance. Associations of EPVS with white matter hyperintensities (WMH) and cognitive impairment have been reported. We assessed the prevalence of EPVS in the basal ganglia (BG) and centrum semiovale (CS) and associations with vascular risk factors, MRI abnormalities, and cognitive impairment in a large cohort of MRI documented lacunar stroke patients. Methods: All SPS3 participants enrolled in North America (N=1632) were included in the cohort. MRIs were obtained at the time of index stroke. We graded severity of EPVS on T2 in each of the right and left BG and CS as: <10, 11-20, or 20+. We assessed relationships between maximum (max) BG and CS scores and patient demographics, number of subcortical infarcts, WMH, and cognitive impairment using chi-square tests and ANOVA. Logistic regression was used to identify independent associations between max score in the BG or CS (<10 vs. 11+ points) and these factors. Results: Of the 1632 MRIs, 1172 had T2-imaging available. EPVS was symmetrical in right and left sides of BG and of CS so max score in each area were used for analyses. In 42% of BG and 69% of CS, the max number of unilateral EPVS was ≥11. Patients with more EPVS in the BG were older (mean 59 vs. 63 vs. 70 years, p < 0.001), had hypertension (75% vs. 84% vs. 86% p < 0.001), and lower eGFR (mean 83 vs. 80 vs. 74 ml/min/1.73m 2 , p = 0.006). More EPVS in the BG were associated with WMH severity as measured by Age Related White Matter Changes total score (median 3 vs. 6 vs. 8, p < 0.001). Patients with more EPVS in the BG more often had multiple infarcts (11% vs. 19% vs. 29%, p<0.001). All findings were similar in the CS. Age (OR 1.9 per each 10 years, 95% CI 1.7-2.1), history of hypertension (OR 1.7, 95% CI 1.2-2.3) and multiple infarcts (OR 2.4, 95% CI 1.7-3.4) were independently associated with a maximum unilateral EPVS score of 2+ in the BG. Mild cognitive impairment was not associated with EPVS in BG (p=0.3) or CS (p=0.5). Conclusions: In this well-defined large cohort of lacunar stroke patients, BG EPVS were associated with age, hypertension and multiple infarcts. These findings suggest that BG EPVS share similar risk factors with lacunar stroke and may be a marker for small vessel disease. Unexpectedly, EPVS were not associated with cognitive impairment.

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Prestroke Statins, Progression of White Matter Hyperintensities, and Cognitive Decline in Stroke Patients with Confluent White Matter Hyperintensities

Neurotherapeutics ◽

10.1007/s13311-014-0270-5 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 11 (3) ◽

pp. 606-611 ◽

Cited By ~ 24

Author(s):

Yunyun Xiong ◽

Adrian Wong ◽

Margherita Cavalieri ◽

Reinhold Schmidt ◽

Winnie W. C. Chu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

White Matter ◽

Cognitive Decline ◽

White Matter Hyperintensities ◽

Stroke Patients

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Collateral Recruitment Is Impaired by Cerebral Small Vessel Disease

Stroke ◽

10.1161/strokeaha.119.027661 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 51 (5) ◽

pp. 1404-1410 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Michelle P. Lin ◽

Thomas G. Brott ◽

David S. Liebeskind ◽

James F. Meschia ◽

Kevin Sam ◽

...

Keyword(s):

White Matter ◽

White Matter Hyperintensities ◽

Small Vessel Disease ◽

Cerebral Small Vessel Disease ◽

Cerebral Microbleeds ◽

Large Vessel ◽

Small Vessel ◽

Perivascular Spaces ◽

Vessel Disease ◽

Poor Recruitment

Background and Purpose— Cerebral small vessel disease (SVD) is associated with increased stroke risk and poor stroke outcomes. We aimed to evaluate whether chronic SVD burden is associated with poor recruitment of collaterals in large-vessel occlusive stroke. Methods— Consecutive patients with middle cerebral artery or internal carotid artery occlusion presenting within 6 hours after stroke symptom onset who underwent thrombectomy from 2012 to 2017 were included. The prespecified primary outcome was poor collateral flow, which was assessed on baseline computed tomographic angiography (poor, ≤50% filling; good, >50% filling). Markers of chronic SVD on brain magnetic resonance imaging were rated for the extent of white matter hyperintensities, enlarged perivascular spaces, chronic lacunar infarctions and cerebral microbleeds using the Standards for Reporting Vascular Changes on Neuroimaging criteria. Severity of SVD was quantified by adding the presence of each SVD feature, with a total possible score of 0 to 4; each SVD type was also evaluated separately. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to evaluate the relationships between SVD and poor collaterals, with adjustment for potential confounders. Results— Of the 100 eligible patients, the mean age was 65±16 years, median National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score was 15, and 68% had any SVD. Poor collaterals were observed in 46%, and those with SVD were more likely to have poor collaterals than patients without SVD (aOR, 1.9 [95% CI, 1.1–3.2]). Of the SVD types, poor collaterals were significantly associated with white matter hyperintensities (aOR, 2.9 per Fazekas increment [95% CI, 1.6–5.3]) but not with enlarged perivascular spaces (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.3 [95% CI, 0.4–4.0]), lacunae (aOR, 2.1 [95% CI, 0.6–7.1]), or cerebral microbleeds (aOR, 2.1 [95% CI, 0.6–7.8]). Having a greater number of different SVD markers was associated with a higher odds of poor collaterals (crude trend P <0.001; adjusted P =0.056). There was a dose-dependent relationship between white matter hyperintensity burden and poor collaterals: adjusted odds of poor collaterals were 1.5, 3.0, and 9.7 across Fazekas scores of 1 to 3 ( P trend=0.015). No patient with an SVD score of 4 had good collaterals. Conclusions— Chronic cerebral SVD is associated with poor recruitment of collaterals in large vessel occlusive stroke. A prospective study to elucidate the potential mechanism of how SVD may impair the recruitment of collaterals is ongoing.

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