What are punctate lesions?

Background: Punctate white matter lesions (PWMLs) are small focal patches of increased signal intensity (SI) on T1- and decreased SI on T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). To date, there have been few reports of PWMLs in term born infants.

What does punctate mean on an MRI?

The presence of a few hyperintense punctate foci in the cerebral white matter at MRI is a very common finding that can be regarded as insignificant in most of the cases. These bright dots, considered as normal, can be a manifestation of dilated perivascular spaces or small gliotic or lacunar ischemic foci.

Are MS lesions punctate?

The lesions can be punctate or patchy and are more common in the supratentorial white matter where they can be present at any site, though most often are subcortical rather than periventricular.

What is punctate white matter hyperintensities?

White matter hyperintensities (WMHs) are brain white matter lesions that are hyperintense on fluid attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans. Larger WMH volumes have been associated with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and with cognitive decline.

What does punctate mean in medical terms?

by dots or points
Medical Definition of punctate (Entry 1 of 2) : characterized by dots or points punctate skin lesions.

What is a subcortical lesion?

Subcortical MRI lesions were found to be associated with arteriosclerosis, dilated perivascular spaces, and vascular ectasia (p less than 0.05). These histological changes were characteristic of “état criblé” which, like subcortical MRI lesions, is associated with age and hypertension.

What does MS lesions look like?

MS activity appears on an MRI scan as either bright or dark spots. Typical MS lesions tend to be oval or frame shaped. MS lesions can appear in both the brain’s white and gray matter. Healthcare professionals may use a chemical contrast dye called gadolinium to improve the brightness of MRI scan images.