Subcortical Vascular Lesions Predict Falls at 12 Months in Elderly Patients Discharged From a Rehabilitation Ward

CT scans of 4 patients with increasing severity of subcortical vascular lesions. (A) Absent or very mild disease with questionable white-matter hypodensity that might be regarded as “normal for age.” Subcortical vascular lesions: 0 (level 0/3). (B) Mild disease with class C leukoaraiosis or class B patchy and class A lacunes. Subcortical vascular lesions: 18.9 (level 1/3). Note the hypodense frontal periventricular caps. (C) Moderate disease with class C patchy and class A lacunes irrespective of class of leukoaraiosis. Subcortical vascular lesions: 35 (level 2/3). Note the isolated focal patchy lesion in the white matter of the right hemisphere. (D) Severe disease with class B or higher patchy lesions and class B or higher lacunes, irrespective of leukoaraiosis. Subcortical vascular lesions: 54.2 (level 3/3). Note the multiple, bilateral, patchy hypodense lesions in the white matter and the associated lacunes in the basal ganglia. Abbreviations: L, left; P, posterior; R, right.

The predictive power of increasing severity of subcortical vascular lesions on falling at the 12-month follow-up in 214 patients consecutively admitted to the RACU. Bars denote 95% CIs in a logistic regression model adjusted for age, sex, MMSE score, and Barthel Index score at admission. SVLs 0 (ref) ≤12.6; SVLs 1, 12.7–22.4; SVLs 2, 22.5–41.8; SVLs 3, ≥41.9. Abbreviation: SVLs, subcortical vascular lesions.