Increased internal cerebral vein diameter is associated with age.

Area of Science:

• Neuroimaging
• Vascular Neurology
• Aging Research

Background:

• White matter hyperintensities (WMH) are associated with aging and cerebrovascular disease.
• Previous studies noted a link between cerebral venous diameter and WMH, but lacked age stratification.
• The role of cerebral venous drainage in WMH progression requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between cerebral venous diameter and WMH volume across different age groups.
• To explore the association between larger cerebral draining venous diameter and age using susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI).
• To establish potential temporal relationships between venous changes and WMH development.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 405 subjects across three age groups: youths, middle-aged, and elderly.
• T2-weighted fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) imaging to assess WMH volume.
• Susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI) to measure cerebral venous diameters, including the internal cerebral vein (ICV) and thalamostriate vein (TSV).

Main Results:

• Increased internal cerebral vein (ICV) diameter correlated positively with age across WMH severity groups (p < 0.001).
• Thalamostriate vein (TSV) diameter showed a significant age-related increase only in moderate and severe WMH groups (p < 0.05).
• Anterior septal vein (ASV) diameter did not show a significant relationship with age or WMH severity.

Conclusions:

• Increased TSV and ICV diameters are associated with aging and increasing WMH severity.
• The ICV diameter, particularly when assessed with SWI, shows a strong link to age and WMH progression.
• Findings suggest a potential role for cerebral venous changes in the aging process and WMH development.