TABLE 3.
Predictors of Diagnostic Tissue Pathologya
| Variable | OR | 95% CI | P Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age >45 y | 2.67 | 1.34-5.29 | <.01 |
| Male sex | 0.78 | 0.39-1.56 | |
| Comorbidities | |||
| Smoker | 0.85 | 0.39-1.82 | |
| Coronary artery disease | 4.28 | 0.95-19.14 | |
| Vascular disease | 0.86 | 0.42-1.77 | |
| HIV | 0.78 | 0.07-8.81 | |
| Previous cancer diagnosis | 3.64 | 1.69-7.85 | <.001 |
| Presenting symptoms and signs | |||
| Headaches | 0.66 | 0.34-1.30 | |
| Cognitive decline | 0.72 | 0.45-1.15 | |
| Behavioral change | 0.61 | 0.31-1.21 | |
| Hallucinations | 1.63 | 0.33-8.00 | |
| Focal weakness | 1.00 | 0.50-1.99 | |
| Myoclonus | 0.18 | 0.03-1.04 | |
| Seizures | 2.06 | 0.95-4.44 | |
| Medications on consultation | |||
| Steroids | 0.93 | 0.47-1.87 | |
| Imaging and clinical studies | |||
| Focal lesion on CT scan | 5.54 | 2.13-14.43 | <.001 |
| Focal lesion on MRI | 3.90 | 1.91-8.00 | <.001 |
| Enhancing lesion on MRI | 5.03 | 2.41-10.52 | <.001 |
| Catheter angiography performed | 0.35 | 0.17-0.72 | <.01 |
| CT angiography performed | 0.39 | 0.02-6.39 | |
| MR angiography performed | 0.39 | 0.17-0.93 | <.05 |
| Vasculitis/vasculopathy on angiography | 0.30 | 0.09-1.04 | |
| Surgical technique | |||
| Biopsy of specific lesion on MRI | 9.34 | 4.29-20.33 | <.001 |
| Image-guided surgery | 6.59 | 3.04-14.28 | <.001 |
a
OR, odds ratio; CI, confidence interval; HIV, human immunodeficiency virus; CT, computed tomography; MRI, magnetic resonance imaging.