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Updated: Aug 5, 2025
3D Modeling of the Lateral Ventricles and Histological Characterization of Periventricular Tissue in Humans and Mouse
Published on: May 19, 2015
Association between visualization of the perivascular space and morphological changes in the brain among the
Yasuhiro Sugai1, Kazuho Niino1, Akiko Shibata1
1Division of Diagnostic Radiology, Department of Radiology, Yamagata University Faculty of Medicine, Japan.
Purpose:
We aimed to investigate the association between perivascular space (PVS) visible on MRI and brain atrophy or morphological change using quantitative indexes.
Method:
This population-based cohort study included 216 older participants. The PVS in basal ganglia (BG-PVS) and cerebral white matter (WM-PVS) was evaluated using a four-point visual rating scale. We segmented brain parenchyma and CSF, and calculated the CSF/intracranial volume ratio, which represents atrophic change. WM lesions were classified using the Fazekas scale. We introduced a new category "idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH)-like conformation", which was based on two quantitative indexes: Evans index and callosal angle. The association between PVS grade and demographic or morphological factors was evaluated.
Results:
A stepwise increase in the CSF/intracranial volume ratio with BG-PVS grade progression and a stepwise decrease with WM-PVS grade progression were observed. A higher CSF/intracranial volume ratio was significantly related to a higher BG-PVS grade in a univariate analysis, but this significance disappeared in a multivariate analysis. The iNPH-like group was significantly related to a lower WM-PVS grade in a univariate analysis, and this significance remained in a multivariate analysis.
Conclusions:
The association between BG-PVS enlargement and atrophic changes was verified. On the contrary, WM-PVS showed a different trend, and a lower WM-PVS grade was associated with an iNPH-like conformation. This result implies that the less-visible WM-PVS on imaging as well as BG-PVS enlargement would reflect abnormal brain change.
