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(Stroke. 2008;39:1993.)
© 2008 American Heart Association, Inc.

Original Contributions

Selective Reduction of Blood Flow to White Matter During Hypercapnia Corresponds With Leukoaraiosis

Daniel M. Mandell, MD; Jay S. Han, BSc; Julien Poublanc, MSc; Adrian P. Crawley, PhD; Andrea Kassner, PhD; Joseph A. Fisher, MD David J. Mikulis, MD

From the Department of Medical Imaging (D.M.M., J.P., A.P.C.), Toronto Western Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; the Departments of Medical Imaging (D.M.M., A.K.) and Physiology (J.S.H., J.A.F.), University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; the Department of Anesthesia (J.S.H., J.A.F.), Toronto General Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; and the Department of Medical Imaging (A.K.), Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Correspondence to David J. Mikulis, MD, Department of Medical Imaging, Toronto Western Hospital, Department of Medical Imaging, University of Toronto, Room 3MC-431, Toronto Western Hospital, 399 Bathurst Street, Toronto, Ontario M5T 2S8, Canada. E-mail mikulis{at}uhnres.utoronto.ca

Background and Purpose— Age-related white matter disease (leukoaraiosis) clusters in bands in the centrum semiovale, about the occipital and frontal horns of the lateral ventricles, in the corpus callosum, and internal capsule. Cerebrovascular anatomy suggests that some of these locations represent border zones between arterial supply territories. We hypothesized that there are zones of reduced cerebrovascular reserve (susceptible to selective reductions in blood flow, ie, steal phenomenon) in the white matter of young, healthy subjects, the physiological correlate of these anatomically defined border zones. Furthermore, we hypothesized that these zones spatially correspond with the regions where the elderly develop leukoaraiosis.

Methods— Twenty-eight healthy volunteers underwent functional MR mapping of the cerebrovascular response to hypercapnia. We studied 18 subjects by blood oxygen level-dependent MRI and 10 subjects by arterial spin labeling MRI. We controlled both end-tidal pCO₂ and pO₂. All functional data was registered in Montreal Neurological Institute space and generated composite blood oxygen level-dependent MR and arterial spin labeling MR maps of cerebrovascular reserve. We compared these maps with frequency maps of leukoaraiosis published previously.

Results— Composite maps demonstrated significant (90% CI excluding the value zero) steal phenomenon in the white matter. This steal was induced by relatively small changes in end-tidal pCO₂. It occurred precisely in those locations where elderly patients develop leukoaraiosis.

Conclusions— This steal phenomenon likely represents the physiological correlate of the previously anatomically defined internal border zones. Spatial concordance with white matter changes in the elderly raises the possibility that this steal phenomenon may have a pathogenetic role.

Key Words: cerebrovascular accident • cerebrovascular disorders • magnetic resonance imaging

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