Abstract:
Leukoaraiosis (LA) manifests as cerebral white matter hyperintensities on T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging scans and corresponds to white matter lesions or abnormalities in brain tissue. Clinically, it is generally detected in the early 40s and is highly prevalent globally in individuals aged >60 years. From the imaging perspective, LA can present as several heterogeneous forms, including punctate and patchy lesions in deep or subcortical white matter; lesions with periventricular caps, a pencil-thin lining, and smooth halo; as well as irregular lesions, which are not always benign. Given its potential of having deleterious effects on normal brain function and the resulting increase in public health burden, considerable effort has been focused on investigating the associations between various risk factors and LA risk, and developing its associated clinical interventions. However, study results have been inconsistent, most likely due to potential differences in study designs, neuroimaging methods, and sample sizes as well as the inherent neuroimaging heterogeneity and multi-factorial nature of LA. In this article, we provided an overview of LA and summarized the current knowledge regarding its epidemiology, neuroimaging classification, pathological characteristics, risk factors, and potential intervention strategies.
摘要:
脑白质疏松症(LA)在T2加权磁共振成像扫描上表现为脑白质高强度,并对应于脑组织中的白质病变或异常。临床上,它通常在40年代初检测到,在全球范围内,年龄>60岁的个体中非常普遍。从成像的角度来看,LA可以呈现为几种异质形式,包括深部或皮质下白质中的点状和斑片状病变;具有室管帽的病变,铅笔薄衬里,和光滑的光环;以及不规则的病变,并不总是良性的。鉴于其可能对正常大脑功能产生有害影响,并因此增加公共卫生负担,相当多的努力集中在调查各种风险因素与洛杉矶风险之间的关联上,并制定相关的临床干预措施。然而,研究结果不一致,很可能是由于研究设计的潜在差异,神经成像方法,和样本量以及LA固有的神经影像学异质性和多因素性质。在这篇文章中,我们提供了LA的概述,并总结了有关其流行病学的现有知识,神经影像学分类,病理特征,危险因素,和潜在的干预策略。