BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Homocysteine is an endothelial toxin and elevated levels have been associated with stroke risk. Stroke, particularly the small vessel disease (SVD) subtype, is increased in U.S. and UK black populations. In white populations elevated homocysteine has been associated with SVD, especially confluent leukoaraiosis, and may be acting through endothelial dysfunction. We determi...

BACKGROUND We recently observed that 13% of 1,008 consecutive adults aged 15-49 years with first-ever ischemic stroke had one or more silent brain infarcts (SBIs), and more than 5% presented with leukoaraiosis on CT or MRI. We sought to investigate the features of and risk factors for magnetic resonance (MR)-defined SBIs and leukoaraiosis in these patients. METHODS We analyzed the radiologic ...

Whether leukoaraiosis burden retards short-term recovery after minor stroke is unclear. We investigated the association between leukoaraiosis and early recovery of neurological function after a first minor ischemic stroke in 217 acute stroke patients (National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score ≤5). Leukoaraiosis severity was graded according to the Fazekas scale and categorized in...

BACKGROUND Leukoaraiosis is common in patients with acute ischemic stroke. The results from many studies investigating the association between leukoaraiosis and intracranial hemorrhage after thrombolysis remain conflicting. METHODS A meta-analysis was performed to compare the risk of post-thrombolytic intracranial hemorrhage in patients with and without leukoaraiosis. Relevant reports were id...

We report a case of leukoaraiosis that was studied for apoptosis. In the neuropil, the number of cells that showed DNA fragmentation was 2.5 times as great in the area of leukoaraiosis as in the adjacent white matter (P = .004) and 25 times as great as in the nearby cortex (P < .001). Our findings suggest that apoptosis, predominantly of oligodendrocytes, is involved in the pathogenesis of leuk...

BACKGROUND Leukoaraiosis, microbleeds, and silent brain infarctions are phenotypes of small vessel disease. Leukoaraiosis is the most prevalent, and advanced periventricular leukoaraiosis is regarded as a strong predictor of cognitive dysfunction. Microbleeds and silent brain infarctions sometimes coexist with leukoaraiosis. This study aims to analyze the effects of microbleeds and silent brain...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) provides a reliable, quantitative measure of ischemic stroke severity and is predicted by the infarct size. We sought to determine whether leukoaraiosis severity affects the association between infarct size and NIHSS. METHODS NIHSS and diffusion-weighted imaging-defined infarct volumes from 312 prospectively enrolle...

BACKGROUND Leukoaraiosis is associated with an increased risk of stroke, but the underlying mechanism remains uncertain, as do the associations with other risk factors, such as carotid disease. We aimed to determine the role of carotid disease and of other clinical variables in the development of leukoaraiosis and to define their contributions to the associated increased risk of stroke. METHO...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Leukoaraiosis is a common finding among patients with ischemic stroke and has been associated with poor stroke outcomes. Our aim was to ascertain whether the severity of pre-existing leukoaraiosis is associated with outcome in patients with acute ischemic stroke who are treated with endovascular stroke therapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS We retrospectively analyzed data from...

Patients with cerebral small vessel disease (SVD) can present as isolated lacunar infarction or with diffuse white matter changes, with the imaging appearance of leukoaraiosis. Endothelial dysfunction, which can lead to breakdown of the blood-brain barrier, impaired cerebral autoregulation and prothrombotic changes, is believed to be important in mediating disease. Circulating levels of interce...