The Topography of White Mater Peri-Ventricular Hyperintensities on Brain Magnetic Resonance Imagings (MRI) Among Cameroonians

Background: Peri-Ventricular Hyperintensity (PVH) refers to bright signal adjacent to lateral ventricles on T2 weighted (T2W) and Fluid Attenuated Inversion Recovery (FLAIR) brain MR images. It is a qualitative evaluation of white mater lesions. Aim: Evaluating the incidence and topographic distribution of cerebral periventricular hyperintensities among Cameroonians using FLAIR and T2W brain MR images. Materials and methods: Prospective study of patients who came for brain MRI from June 2009 to Febuary 2010. Patients were scanned after data documentation with AIRIS 11 0.3 Tesla imager starting from medullo-cervical cord junction. Axial T2W and FLAIR images were acquired using 6-8mm slice tissue thickness and 0.5-1 mm intersection gap. Images were evaluated qualitatively into absent, type 1-3 PVH. Type 1-peri-ventricular frontal capping, rimming or thin smooth halo. Type 2-PVH extends into deep white mater. Type 3-PVH extends into sub-cortical white mater. Inclusion criteria included reportable quality images. Results were analysed with Computer statistical package SPSS 13 Results: Ninety seven patients with 60 (61.86%), males and 37 (38.14%) females were studied. Age range was 0- 89 with mean of 44.5. 75.26% of all cases, 70% of all males and 83.78% of all females had absent PVH. 24.74% (n=24, M: F=3:1) of studied population had PVH, shared into 33.33% type 1 PVH, 58.33% type 2 and 8.33% type 3. Peaks of type 2 PVH in males and females were 60-69 and 70-79 respectively. The commonest association of type 2 PVH in males and females were CVD (62%) and cerebral atrophy (50%) respectively. Conclusion: The incidence rate of PVH among Cameroonians without population bias is 24.74% with male earlier onset and predominance. PVH is common and severer among elderly (50 years and above). The predominant type of PVH in both sexes is type 2 with commonest association in males being CVD but cerebral atrophy in females.