European Journal of Cardiovascular Medicine

This study was conducted to evaluate the natural course of WMH (White Matter Hyperintensities) and lacunes over a period of one year, determine the main MRI representatives of small vessel diseases over time, and evaluate the possible predictors for the development of small vessel disease. Methods This was a hospital-based prospective study conducted among 132 patients who underwent CT/MRI in the Department of Radio-Diagnosis, S.C.B. Medical College, Cuttack, over a period of one year from September 2016 to September 2018 after obtaining clearance from the institutional ethics committee and written informed consent from the study participants.  Results Baseline and 1 year follow-up white matter hyperintensity volume comparisons were found to be statistically significant. The correlation between age and WMH was significant; there was a significant difference in WMH progression among different age strata. The progression of WMH was significantly higher in the age group of 76-85 years as compared to the other two groups. There was a statistically significant correlation between hypertension and WMH progression, diabetes mellitus and incidence of new lacunar infarct, and stroke and incidence of new lacunar infarct. Conclusion The rapid increase in WMH in our subjects supports the potential use of WMH volume as a surrogate marker for small vessel disease progression in elderly individuals. Because WMHs are known to have functional consequences and the volumetric estimation of these lesions is now possible, they can provide an objective measure of outcome of the preventive trials.