Clinical and Neuroimaging Patterns of Ischemic Stroke in Ph-negative Myeloproliferative Neoplasms

Abstract

Introduction. Philadelphia-negative myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) are a rare blood disorder characterized by pancytosis and thrombohemorrhagic complications. The aim of this article is to describe clinical and neuroimaging patterns of brain changes in patients with MPN. Materials and methods. The study included 152 patients with an established diagnosis of MPN (according to WHO criteria 2008, 2016). A clinical and neurological examination, laboratory tests, and magnetic resonance imaging of the brain were performed. Results. In patients with polycythemia vera and primary myelofibrosis, neuroimaging patterns are represented by small (up to 1.5 cm) post-infarction lesions in the brainstem, cerebellum, and cortex in adjacent perfusion territories after hemorheological microocclusive stroke. In patients with essential thrombocythemia, the neuroimaging pattern is more often represented by massive post-infarction changes in cortical-subcortical brain tissue with atherosclerotic lesions of the major head arteries, which appear to be atherothrombotic. Stroke preceded hematologic diagnosis in 30% of polycythemia vera cases, 40% of essential thrombocythemia cases, and 25% of primary myelofibrosis cases.

Keywords

• blood disorders
• myeloproliferative neoplasms/diseases
• thrombosis
• stroke
• magnetic resonance imaging of the brain