{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,20]],"date-time":"2026-09-20T17:45:49Z","timestamp":1789926349400,"version":"4.0.1"},"reference-count":43,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"4","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,2,3]],"date-time":"2021-02-03T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1612310400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["JCM"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: The aim was to determine the occurrence, consequences and risk factors for brain white matter hyperintensities (WMH) assessed in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in low-risk patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF) undergoing radiofrequency pulmonary vein isolation (PVI-RF). Methods: 74 patients with AF (median 58.5 years (IQR 50\u201363), 45 male) were included. Before and after a minimum of 6 months after PVI-RF, a brain MRI and a mini-mental state examination (MMSE) were performed. Results: Baseline WMH lesions were found in 55 (74.3%) patients and in 48 from 62 (77.4%) patients after PVI-RF. The WMH lesions were more frequent among older patients, with a higher CHA2DS2-Vasc (C\u2014Congestive heart failure\/LV dysfunction, H\u2014Hypertension, A\u2014Age, D\u2014Diabetes mellitus, S\u2014Stroke, V\u2014Vascular Disease, Sc\u2014Sex category). Factors affecting the severity of the WMH were: older age, the co-existence of the PFO and coronary artery disease (CAD). After a follow-up period, the factors predisposing to brain WMH lesions occurrence (age, higher BMI and CHA2DS2-Vasc score) and to the more advanced changes (age, higher CHA2DS2-Vasc score, CAD, PFO) were obtained. Conclusions: The presence and severity of cerebral microembolism are associated with age, higher CHA2DS2-Vasc score and the coexistence of PFO and CAD. PVI-RF procedure and its efficacy does not influence on MRI lesions. In this population, cerebral microembolism is not related to cognitive impairment.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/jcm10040565","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,2,3]],"date-time":"2021-02-03T20:31:51Z","timestamp":1612384311000},"page":"565","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":4,"title":["Hyperintense Brain Lesions in Asymptomatic Low Risk Patients with Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation Undergoing Radiofrequency Pulmonary Vein Isolation"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"10","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8200-7377","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Joanna","family":"Wieczorek","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"First Department of Cardiology, School of Medicine in Katowice, Medical University of Silesia, 40-635 Katowice, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6907-2799","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Katarzyna","family":"Mizia-Stec","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"First Department of Cardiology, School of Medicine in Katowice, Medical University of Silesia, 40-635 Katowice, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2481-7528","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Anetta","family":"Lasek-Bal","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Neurology, School of Medicine in Katowice, Medical University of Silesia, 40-635 Katowice, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Piotr","family":"Wieczorek","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"First Department of Cardiology, School of Medicine in Katowice, Medical University of Silesia, 40-635 Katowice, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Iwona","family":"Wo\u017aniak-Skowerska","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"First Department of Cardiology, School of Medicine in Katowice, Medical University of Silesia, 40-635 Katowice, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Anna M.","family":"Wnuk-Wojnar","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"First Department of Cardiology, School of Medicine in Katowice, Medical University of Silesia, 40-635 Katowice, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5742-2402","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Krzysztof","family":"Szyd\u0142o","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"First Department of Cardiology, School of Medicine in Katowice, Medical University of Silesia, 40-635 Katowice, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,2,3]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1990","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jacc.2013.05.074","article-title":"Prevalence of silent cerebral ischemia in paroxysmal and persistent atrial fibrillation and correlation with cognitive function","volume":"62","author":"Gaita","year":"2013","journal-title":"J. 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