Evaluation of microstructural changes of brain parenchyma in patients with essential hypertension by diffuse kurtosis imaging and enhanced T2 star weighted angiography / 中华神经医学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To evaluate the microstructural changes of brain parenchyma in patients with essential hypertension by diffuse kurtosis imaging (DKI) and enhanced T2 star weighted angiography (ESWAN).Methods:A prospective study was performed; 27 patients with essential hypertension, admitted to our hospital from April 2019 to September 2019, and 16 healthy subjects matched with gender, age and education level were enrolled in our study. According to the presence or absence of cerebral microbleeds (CMBs), patients with essential hypertension were divided into essential hypertension with CMBs group ( n=8) and essential hypertension without CMBs group ( n=19). MRI, DKI and ESWAN were performed on all subjects. The mean kurtosis (MK), mean diffusivity (MD) and fractional anisotropy (FA) of bilateral hippocampal gyrus, centrum semiovale, caudate head, posterior limb of internal capsule, thalamus, red nucleus, substantia nigra, pons, and cerebellum were measured. Results:As compared with the healthy subjects, the patients with essential hypertension had significantly lower MK values in the left semioval center, bilateral caudate head, left posterior limb of internal capsule, and bilateral thalamus, significantly higher MD value in the right thalamus, and statistically lower FA value in the left posterior limb of internal capsule ( P<0.05). The essential hypertension with CMBs group had significantly lower MK values in left hippocampus gyrus, left centrum semiovale, bilateral caudate head, left posterior limb of internal capsule, bilateral thalamus, and left substantia nigra, significantly higher MD value in right thalamus, and significantly lower FA value in left posterior limb of internal capsule as compared with essential hypertension without CMBs group and healthy control group ( P<0.05). Conclusion:In patients with essential hypertension, the brain microstructural changes are found in the hippocampus, centrum semiovale, caudate head, posterior limb of internal capsule, thalamus and substantia nigra; these changes are more obvious in essential hypertension patients with CMBs; DKI and ESWAN can effectively assess the early brain microstructure changes in patients with essential hypertension.