Background White matter hyperintensities (WMH) have been associated with cognitive impairment in elderly persons and in patients with Alzheimer disease. However, the role of WMH in Parkinson disease (PD) dementia remains to be elucidated. Methods The cohort for this study comprised 71 consecutive patients with PD, all of whom completed a clinical assessment, neuropsychologic investigation, and magnetic resonance imaging of brain. WMH were rated using the semiquantitative visual rating system proposed by Scheltens et al. Results The PD dementia group had significantly more WMH than the PD without dementia group in the evaluated brain regions except for the infratentorial area. The WMH showed a significant correlation with age, Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale, Mini-Mental State Examination, sum of the box of Clinical Dementia Rating, and many of the cognitive domains. The linear regression model showed that the WMH was independently associated with cognitive impairment in patients with PD, regardless of age, sex, duration or severity of PD symptoms, and vascular risk factors. Conclusions These findings confirm that WMH might be associated with cognitive decline in patients with PD, regardless of age, sex, education status, duration or severity of PD symptoms, and vascular risk factors. This result suggests that other nonvascular factors contribute to the progression of dementia in patients with PD.

Background: Cardiac myxomas are rare but are the most common cardiac tumors. This study is based on our clinical experience with cardiac myxomas over a period of 11 years at Sejong General Hospital. We focused on the embolic complications of patients with cardiac myxoma. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 59 consecutive patients with cardiac myxoma who were treated between January 2000 and March 2011. The myxomas were divided into two types: type 1, with an irregular or villous surface and a soft consistency, and type 2, with a smooth surface and a compact consistency. The 59 investigated patients were classified into the embolic group and the non-embolic group. Results: Cardiac obstructive symptoms, embolic events and constitutional symptoms were observed in 37 (62.7%), 13 (22.0%) and 10 (16.9%) patients, respectively. When the embolic and non-embolic groups were compared, there were no significant differences in vascular risk factors, the ejection fraction, the left atrial diameter or the tumor size. However, type 1 myxomas were significantly more frequent in the embolic group (p = 0.009 by Fisher’s exact test). A binary logistic regression analysis showed that type 1 pathology alone was independently associated with myxoma-related embolism (p = 0.008; odds ratio 10.056; 95% confidence interval 1.828–55.337). There were no operative deaths in any of the 59 patients studied. Among the 13 patients with embolism, 11 (84.6%) had brain infarcts. The main patterns of the lesions were multiple lesions (8 out of 11 patients, 72.7%) and lesions in the middle cerebral artery territories (7 out of 11 patients, 63.6%). The other 2 patients were found to have occlusion of the left central retinal artery and left external iliac artery. Additionally, incidental cerebral aneurysms were found in the latter case. There was no recurrence of myxoma or myxoma-related symptoms in the 53 patients receiving outpatient management during the follow-up period (range 2 months to 11 years). Conclusions: The embolic potential of myxoma was associated with an irregular surface pathology but not with vascular risk factors. Echocardiography should be performed in patients with embolic events, especially when cerebral infarcts with multiple territorial lesions are detected. Surgical resection is a relatively safe and curative procedure for cardiac myxoma.

Early neurologic deterioration (END) during the acute stage of stroke is clinically important because of its association with poor outcomes. The purpose of this study was (1) to investigate variables associated with END, (2) to determine the distribution of atherosclerotic stenosis associated with END, and (3) to clarify the relationship between END and clinical outcomes. 516 patients with acute ischemic stroke were included. The median follow-up period was 31.7 months. END was defined as a ≥2 point increase in the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), ≥1 point increase in level of consciousness or motor item of the NIHSS, or the development of any new neurological deficits during the first 72 hours of hospitalization. A signal loss on 1.5-T magnetic resonance angiography exceeding 50% was considered to be significant for the categorization of stenosis pattern. The prevalence of END was 19.0%. END was associated with intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis (IAS) together with large artery atherosclerosis (LAA) subtype. In particular, stenosis of basilar artery or posterior cerebral artery was independently associated with END. Lesion growth or hypoperfusion was more accountable for END in patients with IAS, whereas intracerebral hemorrhage or edema/herniation was more frequently observed in END patients without IAS. Patients with END had a higher rate of mortality, but a similar rate of further vascular events compared to patients without END. Pre-stroke IAS and LAA subtype could determine the development of END during the acute stage of ischemic stroke.