A pathological study was performed on cerebral arteries of 22 elderly patients with mean age of 81 years old, who showed the pathological changes of progressive subcortical vascular encephalopathy of Binswanger type (PSVE). Cerebral arteries were examined on the following 4 portions in all cases; main stem of cerebral arteries, leptomeningeal arteries, medullary arteries in the cortex, and small medullary branches in the white matter. Arterial lesionsin PSVE were compared with those in the age-matched cases of non-embolic brain infarction and of cerebral hemorrhage.
The results were as follows;
1) Severe atherosclerosis of middle cerebral artery (MCA) with stenosis over 50% of lumen was found in 68.2% of PSVE, in 63.6% of cerebral infarction, and in 30% of cerebral hemorrhage. The severity of atherosclerotic lesions in MCA was not different between in the cases of PSVE and cerebral infarction. However, the diffuse stenotic type of main cerebral arteries, which was characterized by the severe stenosis of bilateral anterior cerebral arteries (ACA), MCA and posterior cerebral arteries (PCA), was observed in 59.1% of PSVE, only in 27.3% of cerebral infarction, and in 20% of cerebral hemorrhage.
2) Severe stenosis over 50% of lumen in the leptomeningeal arteries was observed in 22.7% of PSVE, in 9.1% of cerebral infarction, but not observed in cases of cerebral hemorrhage. Severe stenosis over 50% of lumen at the cortical portion of medullary arteries was found in 31.8% of PSVE patients. None showed severe stenosis of these arteries in cases of cerebral infarction or cerebral hemorrhage.
3) Hyalinotic vascular stenosis over 50% of lumen in the arterioles of cerebral white matter was found in 59.1% of PSVE patients, in 18.2% of cerebral infarction, and in 40% of cerebral hemorrhage.
4) Angionecrosis (fibrinoid degeneration) in the small arteries or in the arterioles was observed in 72.7% of PSVE patients, in 18.2% of cerebral infarction, and in 70% of cerebral hemorrhage.
5) In PSVE, 9 cases (41%) showed the diffuse stenotic type of main stems in ACA, MCA and PCA associated with the diffuse severe stenosis of arterioles in the cerebral white matter. Some of PSVE patients showed the severe stenosis in the leptomeningeal arteries and/or in the cortical portion of medullary arteries, with or without stenosis in the arterioles of cerebral white matter. Three cases of PSVE showed no severe arterial changes. Amyloid angiopathy in the leptomeningeal and cortical arteries was combined in 5 cases of PSVE.
6) Many of PSVE cases had the history of hypertension. But, 17 cases (77%) of PSVE showed sometimes the systolic blood pressure level under 120 mmHg during their clinical courses.
These observations suggest that PSVE can be induced not only by the hyalinotic changes and stenosis of arterioles in the white matter, but also by the diffuse atherosclerotic lesions of main cerebral arteries, and by the stenotic lesions of leptomeningeal or of main medullary arteries. Under the condition of those vascular lesions, a fall of blood pressure in the hypertensives can play a role to develop the PSVE.
View full abstract