Axial T2 FLAIR sequence MR image of a middle-aged man with<unk> . MRI image:<unk>  in a 90-year-old patient with cerebral atrophy. Head CT showing periventricular white matter lesions.<unk>  is a particular abnormal change in appearance of white matter near the lateral ventricles. It is often seen in aged individuals, but sometimes in young adults. On MRI,<unk>  changes appear as white matter hyperintensities (WMHs) in T2 FLAIR images. On CT scans,<unk>  appears as hypodense periventricular white-matter lesions. The term<unk> " was coined in 1986 by Hachinski, Potter, and Merskey as a descriptive term for rarefaction ("araiosis") of the white matter, showing up as decreased density on CT and increased signal intensity on T2/FLAIR sequences (white matter hyperintensities) performed as part of MRI brain scans. These white matter changes are also commonly referred to as periventricular white matter disease, or white matter hyperintensities (WMH), due to their bright white appearance on T2 MRI scans. Many patients can have<unk>  without any associated clinical abnormality. However, underlying vascular mechanisms are suspected to be the cause of the imaging findings. Hypertension, smoking, diabetes, hyperhomocysteinemia, and heart diseases are all risk factors for<unk> .<unk>  has been reported to be an initial stage of Binswanger's disease but this evolution does not always happen.
Leukoaraiosis
Macular degeneration
Hypertensive leukoencephalopathy
Fasciolosis
Cerebral amyloid angiopathy
Maculopathy
Capillary aneurysms
Retinal degeneration 