Association between white matter hyperintensities and altered cerebral
blood flow in maintenance hemodialysis patients: a longitudinal study
Abstract
Hemodynamic fluctuations during hemodialysis therapy may result in brain
damage, such as white matter hyperintensity (WMH). Cerebral blood flow
(CBF) changes occurred before the appearance of WMH. To explore changes
in CBF and white matter in hemodialysis patients, patients underwent
twice structural and arterial spin-labeling MRI examinations at an
interval of three years. Based on the changes in CBF between the
baseline and follow-up groups, the hemodialysis patients were divided
into two subgroups, increased CBF group and decreased CBF group. Our
results showed that patients undergoing hemodialysis exhibited increased
cerebral watershed white matter hyperintensities, deep WMH, and
periventricular. Among HC, hemodialysis baseline, and follow-up
patients, the CBF of gray matter, white matter, and whole matter showed
no obvious differences. The CBF of patients with decreased CBF was
higher than that of HC at baseline and lower than that of HC at
follow-up. Compared with the increased CBF group, obvious development of
deep WMH was found in the decreased CBF group for the gray matter, white
matter, and whole matter. Therefore, WMH in hemodialysis patients were
distributed in the deep white matter, periventricular white matter and
cerebral watershed (CW), and progressed with the extension of
hemodialysis duration. CBF in hemodialysis patients could manifest as
both increased and decreased, and WMH in patients with decreased CBF
developed severely with prolongation of hemodialysis duration.