WHITE MATTER LESIONS

Course overview

WHITE MATTER LESIONS (WMLS) ARE AREAS OF ABNORMAL MYELINATION IN THE BRAIN. THESE LESIONS ARE BEST VISUALIZED AS HYPERINTENSITIES ON T2 WEIGHTED AND FLAIR (FLUID-ATTENUATED INVERSION RECOVERY) SEQUENCES OF MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING. THEY ARE CONSIDERED A MARKER OF SMALL VESSEL DISEASE. HOWEVER, THERE ARE NUMEROUS NON-VASCULAR CAUSES, AS WELL. AN INCREASE IN WMLS INCREASES THE RISK OF STROKE, COGNITIVE DECLINE, DEPRESSION, DISABILITY, AND MORTALITY IN THE GENERAL POPULATION. THIS ACTIVITY REVIEWS THE EVALUATION AND TREATMENT OF PATIENTS WITH WMLS AND HIGHLIGHTS THE ROLE OF THE INTERPROFESSIONAL TEAM IN EVALUATING AND TREATING PATIENTS WITH THIS CONDITION.