Neurology
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

This Article
Right arrow Figures Only
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Correspondence:
Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when Correspondence are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Vernooij, M. W.
Right arrow Articles by van der Lugt, A.
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Vernooij, M. W.
Right arrow Articles by van der Lugt, A.
NEUROLOGY 2009;73:202-205
© 2009 American Academy of Neurology

Superficial siderosis in the general population

M. W. Vernooij, MD, PhD, M. A. Ikram, MD, PhD, A. Hofman, MD, PhD, G. P. Krestin, MD, PhD, M.M.B. Breteler, MD, PhD and A. van der Lugt, MD, PhD

From the Departments of Epidemiology (M.W.V., M.A.I., A.H., M.M.B.B.) and Radiology (M.W.V., G.P.K., A.v.d.L.), Erasmus MC University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr. Aad van der Lugt, Department of Radiology, Erasmus Medical Center, ‘s-Gravendijkwal 230, 3015 CE Rotterdam, The Netherlands a.vanderlugt{at}erasmusmc.nl

Background: Superficial siderosis is a rare radiologic diagnosis of hemosiderin deposition in subpial brain layers. In case studies, an association between superficial siderosis and cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) has been described. Also, a potential role of superficial siderosis in Alzheimer disease (AD) was hypothesized. All previously reported cases of superficial siderosis were detected because of overt clinical symptoms. We studied the occurrence of superficial siderosis on brain MRI in a general population of nondemented elderly.

Methods: In 1,062 persons (mean age 69.6 years) from the population-based Rotterdam Scan Study, we performed T2*-weighted MRI to assess the presence of superficial siderosis. Furthermore, the presence, number, and location of cerebral microbleeds were rated, as lobar microbleeds are thought to be indicative of CAA.

Results: We found that superficial siderosis was present in 7 (0.7%) individuals, all of whom had cerebral microbleeds in lobar locations. Furthermore, in all 7 persons, microbleeds were located in close vicinity to superficial siderosis.

Conclusions: Our results provide further indirect support for the presumed link between superficial siderosis and cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA). Whether superficial siderosis may be a marker for severity or worse prognosis of CAA needs to be further evaluated in longitudinal follow-up.

Abbreviations: AD = Alzheimer disease; CAA = cerebral amyloid angiopathy; GRE = gradient-recalled echo.

Disclosure: Author disclosures are provided at the end of the article.

Received November 18, 2008. Accepted in final form April 7, 2009.






HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Copyright © 2009 by AAN Enterprises, Inc.