Hello, my 64-year-old father had a brain MRI and one of the impressions was/is "Suspect minimal chronic small vessel ischemic disease in the cerebral hemisphere white matter." Can someone please help me to understand what this means? The other two impressions from the MRI are as follows:
1) No evidence of acute intracranial process such as hemorrhage, acute ischemia or hydrocephalus;
2) Diffuse volume loss which appears somewhat pronounced for age.
My father has lost his ability to speak coherently. He has trouble swallowing. He has a persistent tremor in his right hand. He has lost 30 pounds in the last six months because he forgets to eat. He can't remember important dates (like when his son was born, when he got married, etc.). He can no longer do simple arithmetic (7 minus 2 baffled him, even when my mother and I showed him how to count on his fingers). And it takes him 3-4 days to do a simple word search puzzle. He doesn't understand simple instructions (like "swallow" or "close your mouth"). He has lost control of his bladder, and when he does have accidents, he doesn't tell my mother or me, he just throws his soiled clothes on the floor and when they're discovered, the floor then needs to be shampooed.
He says he's not depressed, anxious or suicidal. Stroke, Alzheimer's, cancer and an infection have all been ruled out. He is still undergoing tests: a psychiatric test is scheduled for next week and we're waiting for results from his recent blood work and EEG. I suffer from severe anxiety and depression myself and it's tearing me apart to see my father like this and not have any idea what his problem is.
Any suggestions as to what is wrong with him would be welcome. Thank you.