Preoperative perivascular space burden predicts treatment response to deep cervical lymphovenous anastomosis in Alzheimer's disease: A pilot study.

BACKGROUND

Deep cervical lymphovenous anastomosis (DLVA) shows promise for Alzheimer's disease (AD) treatment, but patient selection criteria remain undefined. Perivascular spaces (PVS) may predict glymphatic enhancement potential.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate whether preoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) measures of PVS burden can predict treatment response to DLVA in AD patients and explore potential mechanisms through longitudinal glymphatic function assessment.

METHODS

Retrospective analysis of 10 AD patients undergoing DLVA. Preoperative T1-weighted MRI quantified PVS volumes using Frangi filtering. Treatment response was assessed at one month using Mini-Mental State Examination/Montreal Cognitive Assessment improvements ≥2 points.

RESULTS

Total PVS volume demonstrated perfect predictive accuracy for treatment response (AUC = 1.000) with an optimal cut-off of 5150 mm³ (sensitivity 100%, specificity 100%). White matter PVS volume also showed strong predictive performance (AUC = 0.875, cut-off 3630 mm³, sensitivity 75%, specificity 100%). The improved group had significantly higher preoperative PVS volumes (total PVS: p = 0.012, Cohen's d = 2.631; white matter PVS: p = 0.050, Cohen's d = 1.689). Preliminary longitudinal analysis revealed divergent Analysis Along the Perivascular Space (ALPS) index changes: the improved group showed mean increase (+0.0276), while the non-improved group demonstrated decrease (-0.0252).

CONCLUSIONS

Preoperative PVS burden serves as a powerful predictor of DLVA response, with higher volumes indicating sufficient anatomical reserve for therapeutic benefit. These findings establish PVS volume as clinically actionable biomarkers for precision patient selection in glymphatic-targeted AD interventions.