Risk factors of dilated Virchow-Robin spaces are different in various brain regions

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 9; no. 8; p. e105505
• Main Authors: Zhang, Changqing, Chen, Qidong, Wang, Yilong, Zhao, Xingquan, Wang, Chunxue, Liu, Liping, Pu, Yuehua, Zou, Xinying, Du, Wanliang, Pan, Yuesong, Li, Zixiao, Jing, Jing, Wang, Dongxue, Luo, Yang, Wong, Ka Sing, Wang, Yongjun
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 26.08.2014; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Age; Aged; Arteriosclerosis; Atherosclerosis; Basal ganglia; Biology and Life Sciences; Blood-brain barrier; Brain; Brain - pathology; Brain Diseases - etiology; Brain Diseases - pathology; Brain Ischemia - complications; Brain Ischemia - pathology; Cerebral blood flow; Correlation; Councils; Craniofacial Abnormalities - etiology; Craniofacial Abnormalities - pathology; Cysts - etiology; Cysts - pathology; Dementia; Diabetes; Ectodermal Dysplasia - etiology; Ectodermal Dysplasia - pathology; Ethics; Etiology; Female; Ganglia; Hip; Hospitals; Humans; Hypertension; Interdisciplinary aspects; Ischemia; Leukoaraiosis; Leukoaraiosis - complications; Leukoaraiosis - pathology; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Male; Medicine and Health Sciences; Middle Aged; Nephrology; Neurology; NMR; Nuclear magnetic resonance; Occlusion; Patients; Prospective Studies; Regression analysis; Risk analysis; Risk Factors; Severity of Illness Index; Stroke; Stroke - complications; Stroke - pathology; Stroke patients; Substantia alba; Working groups; Beijing China; China
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0105505

Few studies have reported on the risk factors of dilated Virchow-Robin Spaces (dVRS) in large samples of ischemic stroke patients. Little evidence exists regarding the relationship between dVRS and etiologic subtype of ischemic stroke or lacune. We aimed to investigate the risk factors associated with the severity of dVRS in a large sample of ischemic stroke patients. We consecutively enrolled 1,090 patients who experienced an ischemic stroke within the past seven days and underwent a 3.0 T MRI scan in the Chinese IntraCranial AtheroSclerosis Study (ICAS). Clinical data and cranial MRI information of patients included age, sex, vascular risk factors, dVRS, leukoaraiosis, lacune, and etiologic subtype of ischemic stroke. Analyses were performed regarding the risk factors associated with the severity of dVRS by univariate analysis and multivariable ordinal logistic regression analysis. Through multivariable ordinal logistic regression analysis, age, the severity of leukoaraiosis, lacune, admission National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) ≤3, and the severity of dVRS in the white matter (WM) and hippocampus (Hip) were correlated with the severity of dVRS in basal ganglia (BG); male, history of hypertension, admission NIHSS ≤3, and the severity of dVRS in BG and Hip were correlated with the severity of dVRS in WM; female, the severity of leukoaraiosis, admission NIHSS >3, small artery occlusion subtype of ischemic stroke, and the severity of dVRS in BG and WM were correlated with the severity of dVRS in Hip. dVRS is an indicator of cerebral small vessel diseases such as leukoaraiosis and lacune. However, the risk factors of dVRS differ in various brain regions.