Cardioembolic stroke due to atrial fibrillation (AF) and/or rheumatic heart disease (RHD) often involves hemorrhagic transformation (HT), and we examined whether leukoaraiosis (LA) was associated with HT in these cases. We prospectively enrolled 251 patients who were admitted to two hospitals within one month of experiencing cardioembolic stroke due to AF/RHD. LA severity was assessed using three visual rating scales. HT was identified in 99 patients (39.4%) based on baseline computed tomography (CT) and post-admission magnetic resonance imaging or second CT. Univariate analysis identified risk of HT as higher in the presence of frontal LA based on the age-related white matter changes scale and in the presence of anterior LA based on the VSS scale. Multivariate analysis confirmed that moderate to severe LA was independently associated with higher HT risk. Of the various sites affected in LA, frontal LA correlated with highest risk of HT (OR 3.199, 95%CI 1.555-6.580). These results suggest that moderate to severe LA, especially at periventricular and anterior sites, is associated with HT after cardioembolic stroke due to AF/RHD. These findings suggest the need to take LA into account as a HT risk factor when considering the use of anticoagulation and thrombolysis in these patients.
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