CEREBROVASCULAR PATHOLOGY IN PATIENTS WITH ISCHEMIC HEART DISEASE (NEUROIMAGING RESULTS)

Background: The aim of this study was to assess the neurological status and the condition of the brain in patients with ischemic heart disease.

Methods: We examined 170 patients, all men and middle age, with an average age of 58.6 years. All of them passed a neurological examination and a Mini-mental State Examination (MMSE) test. The brain examination was performed with the multi-spiral computer tomograph “Somatom Sensation 64 Siemens” (Germany). On a native multi-detector computed tomography (MDCT) of the brain, the ventriculocranial index Evance, the width of ventricle III, and the presence of leukoarayozis, cysts, and gliosis were estimated.

Results: The frequency of vestibulopathy syndrome was 24%, that of asthenia syndrome was 56%, that of mild cognitive impairment was 46%, and the average of the MMSE test results was 27 [26; 28] points.

The width of ventricle III was 7.6 ± 2.0 mm, the ventriculocranial index Evance was 3 – 4.2%, leukoarayozis was found in 26% of the patients, signs of cortical atrophy were found in 19% of the patients, and cysts were found in 5% of the patients. The average age of our patients was no more than 60 years, but the width of ventricle III corresponded to the expected values for the age category of healthy persons over 60 years old, and the values of the ventriculocranial index Evance corresponded to the age norms for healthy subjects over 70 years old.

Conclusions: Mild cognitive impairment, asthenia syndrome, and vestibulopathy syndrome are very common among patients with ischemic heart disease. Signs of cerebral angiopathy (leukoarayozis, cysts, width of ventricle III) indicate the vascular nature of neurological disorders.