Untersuchung hirnvolumetrischer Veränderungen nach schwerem ARDS mit und ohne ECMO-Therapie mittels voxel-basierter Morphometrie
Examination of volumetric changes in the brain after severe ARDS with and without ECMO-therapy using voxel-based morphometry
by Miriam Felicitas Winterwerber
Date of Examination:2025-09-25
Date of issue:2025-09-16
Advisor:Prof. Dr. Onnen Mörer
Referee:Prof. Dr. Onnen Mörer
Referee:PD Dr. Peter Dechent
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Abstract
English
Survivors of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) often suffer from long-term cognitive impairment. These have also been described in other diseases associated with chronic hypoxia (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, obstructive sleep-apnea syndrome) and have been correlated to reductions in gray matter (GM). We hypothesized that patients treated with ECMO show more reductions than patients treated conservatively due to the severity of their hypoxemia. We followed 18 survivors of ARDS, 7 conservatively treated (nonECMO), and 11 patients treated with ECMO. We performed magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), analyzed them using voxel-based morphometry (VBM) and compared the results between these two groups and a healthy control group. MRI analysis of global parameters revealed a reduction in GM volume in nonECMO patients compared to healthy controls (p=0.023). The wholebrain and ROI analysis showed reductions of GM volume for nonECMO patients compared to healthy controls and ECMO patients. Volume reductions in gray matter were localized in the frontal lobe, temporal lobe, and limbic system. Severe ARDS leads to structural changes in gray matter volume that may be preventable by the use of ECMO, which in turn advocates the (early) use of ECMO in severe ARDS.
Keywords: acute respiratory distress syndrome + extracorporeal membrane oxygenation + voxel-based morphometry
