Intravoxel Incoherent Motion Imaging in Small Vessel Disease

Abstract

Background and Purpose—Cerebral small vessel disease (SVD) is associated with cognitive impairment. This may be because of decreased microstructural integrity and microvascular perfusion, but data on these relationships are scarce. We determined the relationship between cognition and microvascular perfusion and microstructural integrity in SVD patients, using intravoxel incoherent motion imaging—a diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging technique designed to determine microvascular perfusion and microstructural integrity simultaneously. Methods—Seventy-three patients with SVD and 39 controls underwent intravoxel incoherent motion imaging and neuropsychological assessment. Parenchymal diffusivity D (a surrogate measure of microstructural integrity) and perfusion-related measure fD* were calculated for the normal appearing white matter, white matter hyperintensities, and cortical gray matter. The associations between cognitive performance and D and fD* were determined. Results—In SVD patients, multiva...