chronic ischemic microangiopathic change

[Grannyof8]

I had been experiencing mild dizzy spells and had an mri with the results as follows: Age-appropriate atrophy and scattered areas of chronic ischemic microangiopathic change with minimal sinus disease. No acute intracranial abnormality. What does all of this mean exactly?

[Grannyof8]

Thank you for your response. I will take your advice and contact a specialist tomorrow.

[Dr Sharma]

Hello dear and welcome to the medhelp forum. Your MRI shows age related atrophy changes that could be limited to temporal and parietal lobes depending on whether you have suggestion of alzheimer’s disease, frontal and temporal lobes in frontotemporal lobar degeneration, and global atrophy if there is vascular dementia. These need to be clinically correlated if you have any senile cognitive changes. Micro vascular ischemic changes in brain are non-specific and may represent changes in the white matter if you have risk factors like hypertension, diabetes and elevated cholesterol clinically.  Migraine headaches and inflammatory conditions can also be responsible.  The dizziness that you are having could be due to hypertension, mild sinusitis changes on MRI if you have clinical  symptoms, which could indirectly affect the inner ear. Senile vertigo due to intracranial atherosclerosis could be causing dizziness and you would require prescribed medication to treat. You need to consult a neurologist for detailed evaluation and clinical correlation. Control of these systemic risk factors, addition of aspirin or clopidogrel could decrease the risk of any strokes if you have these risk factors. Wish you all the best.