Clinical and Neuroimaging Correlates of Post-Transplant Delirium.

Abstract Background Delirium is common among adults undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT), although the clinical and neuroimaging correlates of post-HCT delirium have not been adequately delineated. We therefore examined the frequency of delirium and neuroimaging correlates of post-transplant delirium in a retrospective cohort of 115 adults undergoing neuroimaging after allogeneic HSCT. Methods Delirium was established using previously validated methods for retrospective identification of chart-assessed post procedural delirium. Chart reviews were independently conducted by a multidisciplinary team with expertise in HCT, psychiatry, and psychology on consecutive allogeneic HCT patients who underwent neuroimaging assessments, transplanted at a single center between January 2009 and December 2016. Neuroimaging markers of white matter damage and brain volume loss were also recorded. Results One hundred fifteen patients were included, ranging in age from 20 to 74 (mean age = 49 [SD = 13]). Fifty-three patients (46%) developed post-HCT delirium. In an adjusted model, delirium incidence was associated with older age (OR = 1.92 [1.28, 2.87] per decade, P = .002), greater severity of white matter hyperintensities (OR = 1.95 [1.06, 3.57], P = .031), and conditioning intensity (OR = 6.37 [2.20, 18.45], P Conclusions Greater incidence of delirium following HCT was associated with greater age, microvascular burden, and conditioning intensity. Pre-HCT consideration of microvascular burden and other neuroimaging biomarkers of risk may be warranted.