Stroke Revisited: Cerebral Small Vessel Disease

This book covers all facets of cerebral small vessel disease. Definitional issues, risk factors, and general aspects of pathophysiology are first examined. Individual chapters then focus on white matter lesions (leukoaraiosis), cerebral microbleeds, lacunar infarction, and intracerebral hemorrhage, in each case discussing pathophysiology, pathology, imaging findings, and clinical implications. The accompanying illustrations and photos facilitate ready understanding of the contents and rapid retrieval of fundamental information. Care is taken to ensure that the reader gains a full appreciation of the true nature of small vessel disease. In brief, longstanding hypertension or aging gives rise to arteriolosclerosis in small arteries and arterioles, subsequently resulting in intracerebral hemorrhage and lacunar infarction. In these brains, subclinical asymptomatic lesions such as white matter lesions and microbleeds are frequently identified via brain imaging. In providing comprehensive, up-to-date coverage of the topic, this book will appeal to stroke physicians, surgeons, and students alike.