Relationship between Left Ventricular Hypertrophy and Total Cerebral Small Vessel Disease Burden

A BSTRACT Background: Cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) is a syndrome characterized by imaging findings such as lacunes, white matter hyperintensities (WMHs), cerebral microbleeds (CMB), and enlarged perivascular spaces (EPVS). Objective: This study aimed to investigate the possible relationship between the presence of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) and the total burden of CSVD. Materials and Methods: A total of 160 patients over 18 years of age who were admitted to the Department of Neurology at Ankara University Faculty of Medicine with a diagnosis of ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack between 2017 and 2019 were included if they had completed brain magnetic resonance imaging (including fluid-attenuated inversion recovery sequence) and echocardiographic examinations allowing for LVH assessment. The CSVD burden was evaluated based on the combined presence of WMH, lacunes, CMB, and EPVS. Results: A significant relationship was found between the presence of LVH and the total CSVD burden and all CSVD parameters (WMH, lacunes, and CMB) except for EPVS. Conclusions: This study demonstrates a significant association between LVH and markers of CSVD and total CSVD burden. These findings underscore the importance of a deeper understanding of the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms to assess whether additional preventive measures are needed to mitigate CSVD in individuals with LVH.