Exploring Postoperative Cognitive Dysfunction and Delirium in Noncardiac Surgery Using MRI: A Systematic Review

Table 3

Overview of MRI findings in postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) and delirium (POD), respectively.

Investigated MRI correlates	POCD	POD
Hippocampus volume	Reduced [35]	No difference [34]
White matter hyperintensity (bright areas on images seen in normal aging or neurological disease)	Increased [35]	Increased [39]; No difference [34]
Lacune (cerebrospinal fluid filled cavities in white matter, seen in normal aging or neurological disease)	Increased [37]	N/A
Intracranial volume (ICV) (total volume within the cranial borders)	N/A	No difference [10]
Total parenchymal volume (total brain volume (grey and white matter))	N/A	No difference [34]
Cerebral blood flow (blood perfusion in the brain, hypoperfusion is for example related to the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease)	Reduced [36]	No difference [36]
Thalamus volume	Reduced [40]	N/A
White matter integrity (DTI abnormalities, mean and radial diffusivity, axial diffusivity, and fractional anisotropy)	Reduced [33]	Reduced [32, 33]