White Matter Hyperintensities Subtypes in Cerebral Small Vessel Disease : 7 Tesla Ultra-high Resolution Imaging MRI

Cerebral small vessel diseases (SVD) are a very frequent group of disorders all characterized by alterations of the structure and/or function of small arteries, veins and capillaries. In these disorders, brain tissue lesions accumulate years before the occurrence of clinical symptoms which can be devastating such as stroke, cognitive disturbances and gait disorders. So far, chronic hypoperfusion was considered to be responsible for the accumulation of such lesions. However, recent results have suggested that the lesions underlying white matter hyperintensities (WMH), the most common MRI marker of SVD visible on conventional MRI in quite every subject with SVD long before the occurrence of clinical events, may depend on the considered brain area and may correspond to various mechanisms. Some WMH may even be associated with less severe clinical manifestations.The aim of the present study is to identify different types of WMH by studying 100 patients with different forms of SVD with the most advanced MRI (including ultra-high-resolution imaging at 7 Tesla, new diffusion protocol, sodium MRI, contrast-enhanced angiography and relaxometry and post-processing techniques), and post-processing techniques (machine learning, deep learning, artificial intelligence).