Cerebral Microhemorrhage: Assessment with Gradient-echo MR

PURPOSE: To assess the relationship between low signal intensity lesions, as seen on gradient-echo MR, andclinical factors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In 269 patients with cerebral ischemic symptoms, we analysed the resultsof gradient-echo MR. One hundred and thirty-nine of the patients were male and 130 were female;their ages rangedfrom 40 to 88(mean, 64) years. Low signal intensity lesions were analyzed according to the dominant location;superficial (cortex and subcortical white matter) or deep (basal ganglia, thalamus, periventricular white matter,and cerebellum). We analyzed the relationship between low signal intensity lesions and clinical factors includinghypertension, diabetes mellitus (DM), and spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). RESULTS: Low signalintensity lesions were found in 66 of 269 patients(25%); hypertension was present in 57 of the 66(86%, p< 0.05),DM in nine(14%, p > 0.05), and spontaneous ICH in 26 (39%, p< 0.05). The dominant location of these lesions wassuperficial (n=19), deep (n=45), or both (n=2). Hypertension was present in 13 (68%) of the patients in whom thelesion was superficial, and in 42 (93%) of those in whom it was deep. Hypertension was not present in nine of 66patients(14%) with low signal intensity lesions; in six of these(66%), low signal intensity lesions were presentmainly in the subcortical white matter or cortex and in four of the six, such lesions were found only insubcortical white matter or cortex. CONCLUSION: Cerebral low signal intensity lesions, as seen on gradient-echo MRimaging were associated with clinical factors such as hypertension and spontaneous ICH, and hypertension was morefrequently found in patients in whom the location of low signal intensity lesions was deep.