Table 2.
Pathologic findings at autopsy.
| Case | Cause of death | Significant non-CNS pathologic findings | Neuropathologic findings | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Neurodegen | Cerebrovascular disease | Charcot–Bouchard aneurysms | ||||||||||
| CAAa (art) | CAA (cap) | Arterio | Athero | Infarcts (region) | Hem | Focality | Anatomic region | Location | ||||
| 1 | PNA | sev SA, mod CAD, PNA | Early AD change (NFT B/B III, mod DP, rare NP) | mod | − | sev | mod | Lacunar infarcts (BG), microinfarcts (parietal, occipital) | None | Single | Frontal | Leptomeninges |
| 2 | Brain only | n/a | AD change (NFT B/B VI, abundant DP, scattered NP) | sev | + | sev | mod | Microinfarcts (prefrontal, temporal, HP, BG, CBL) | None | Multifocal | Occipital, basal ganglia | Leptomeninges, putamen |
| 3 | PNA | mod SA, aspiration PNA, arteriolar nephrosclerosis, renal adenoma, prostate CA | AD change (NFT B/B VI, abundant DP, frequent NP) | sev | + | mod | mild | None | None | Multifocal | Temporal, occipital, frontal | Superficial and mid cortex, leptomeninges |
| 4 | Thoracic aortic dissection | Ruptured descending thoracic AA, heart with LVH, mod SA and CAD | None | None | − | mod to sev | mod | None | None | Multifocal | Basal ganglia | Caudate, internal capsule |
| 5 | ICH | n/a | None | mod | + | mod | mod | Microinfarcts (midbrain) | Large hem (frontal, basal ganglia) | Multifocal | Occipital | Superficial and mid cortex |
| 6 | Brain only | n/a | AD change A3B3C3 | mild | + | mod | mild to mod | None | Microhem around CBA | Single | Basal ganglia | Putamen |
| 7 | Brain only | n/a | AD change A3B3C3, DLBD | sev | + | mod to sev | sev | Microinfarcts (cerebral and cerebellar hemispheres) | None | Single | Frontal | Superficial cortex |
| 8 | PNA | mod SA and CAD, aspiration PNA, hemorrhagic gastritis | AD change A3B3C3, DLBD | sev | + | mod | sev | Microinfarcts (frontal) | None | Single | Occipital | Superficial cortex |
| 9 | Cardiogenic shock | sev SA and CAD, MI | None | None | − | Mild to mod | Mild to mod | Lacunar infarcts with secondary hem (CBL) | None | Single | Temporal | Mid cortex |
| 10 | PNA | sev SA, mod CAD, aspiration PNA, mild to mod arterial and arteriolar nephrosclerosis | mild AD change A1B2C0 | None | − | mod to sev | mild to mod | None | Microhem around CBA | Single | Basal ganglia | Putamen |
| 11 | PNA | sev SA and CAD, MI, LVH, abdominal AA, pulmonary hypertension with RVH, PNA, right renal artery stenosis, bilateral nephrosclerosis | AD change A3B3C3 | mild | − | sev | sev | None | None | Multifocal | Basal ganglia | Putamen, globus pallidus |
| 12 | PNA | sev CAD, MI, PNA, small jejunal GIST, chronic pyelonephritis | Progressive supranuclear palsy, AD change A3B3C3 | mild | − | sev | sev | Macroinfarcts (frontal, occipital, parietal, BG), microinfarcts (HP, amygdala) | None | Single | Occipital | Gray-white matter junction |
n/a not applicable as brain only autopsy, arterio arteriolosclerosis, athero atherosclerosis of circle of Willis, AD Alzheimer disease, AA aortic aneurysm, art arteriolar, B/B Braak and Braak stage, BG basal ganglia, CA carcinoma, CAD coronary artery disease, cap capillary, CAA cerebral amyloid angiopathy, CBA Charcot–Bouchard aneurysm, CBL cerebellum, DLBD diffuse Lewy body disease, DP diffuse plaques, GIST gastrointestinal stromal tumor, hem hemorrhage, HP hippocampus, ICH intracerebral hemorrhage, LVH left ventricular hypertrophy, MI myocardial infarction, microhem microhemorrhage, mod moderate, neurodegen neurodegenerative disease, NFT neurofibrillary tangles, NP neuritic plaques, PNA pneumonia, RVH right ventricular hypertrophy, SA systemic atherosclerosis, sev severe, + present, − absent.
aVonsattel grading.