[Symptomatic giant Virchow-Robin spaces]

Abstract

Introduction: Perivascular spaces, known as Virchow-Robin spaces (VRS), may become massively enlarged but are usually an incidental finding. However, a few reports on patients with unusually large VRS have mentioned association with neurological symptoms. We report a series of three symptomatic patients with extremely wide Virchow-Robin spaces documented on brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the medical records and brain MRI of three symptomatic patients, who had been diagnosed with VRS widening.

Case reports: In all three patients, the unusual widening of the VRS was located within the subcortical white matter with asymmetric distribution. Their neurological symptoms were epilepsy and neurological deficits which correlated well with the lesions seen on the MRI. Two patients had associated white matter hyperintensities: in the first case associated gliosis and in the second case, with vascular leukoencephalopathy.

Conclusions: Enlarged symptomatic VRS are rare. The underlying pathophysiological mechanisms remain uncertain. We report three cases with symptomatic giant dilatation of the Virchow-Robin spaces.

Keywords: Dilatation des espaces de Virchow-Robin; Dilatation of Virchow-Robin spaces; Espaces périvasculaires de Virchow-Robin; Imagerie par résonance magnétique; Magnetic resonance imaging; Perivascular Virchow-Robin spaces.