Diagnostics and treatment of chronic cerebral ischemia

Abstract

5560 patients with the diagnosis “Other cerebral vascular diseases” per 100 000 of elderly population were registered in RF in 2017. Usually this is a code for chronic brain ischemia (CBI) – the most popular diagnosis in Russian neurological practice. However, diagnostic criteria of CBI are not well defined and need to be ascertained. Recent studies show that the most reliable clinical feature of CBI could be cognitive impairment. It is developed before other clinical signs and correlate with severity of vascular brain lesions. Typically, cognitive impairment is subcortical with prominent bradyphrenia, attentional, dysexecutive and visuospatial deficit and relative sparing of memory. However clinical diagnosis of CBI could be only hypothetical. Diagnosis should be verified by MRI or other visualization technic. Diagnosis is verified if neuroimaging revealed silent strokes, microbleeds and vascular leukoencephalopathy. The most important objective of chronic brain ischemia management is the control of basic vascular disease. Besides this, pathogenetic therapy should be performed to improve cerebral microcirculation, neuronal metabolism and to provide neuroprotection. There is positive data on dipyridamole usage in chronic brain ischemia. It has desagregative, vasotropic, antioxidative and antiinflammation properties. Dypiridamole treatment in CBI patients lead to decrease of neuropsychiatric symptoms and improvement of well-being.