SLEEP-APNEA SYNDROME AND CEREBRAL-LESIONS - A PROSPECTIVE MRI STUDY

It seems well known that sleep apnea syndrome (SAS) is associated with cardiovascular complications, inclusive myocardial infarctions. Our s tudy aimed to test the hypothesis that patients suffering from cerebra l SAS have more cerebrovascular findings resp. brain infarctions than a matched control group. We analysed prospectively MRI studies of 14 p atients with SAS and controls without SAS in respect of specific and n onspecific vascular cerebral lesions including atrophic changes of the brain. In contrast to our expectations, the rate of SAS-associated is chemic brain lesions is unimportant and not significantly different fr om age-associated brain lesions in controls. The rate of brain infarct ions is distinctly different from that of myocardial infarctions. The outcomes are discussed with regard to new results of ''ischemia-induce d'' ischemic tolerance on different tissues.