Introduction: Total small vessel disease (SVD) score and cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) score are magnetic
resonance imaging-based composite scores built to preferentially capture deep perforator arteriopathy-related
and CAA-related SVD burden, respectively. Non-lobar intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH) is related to deep
perforator arteriopathy, while lobar ICH can be associated with deep perforator arteriopathy or CAA; however,
the associations between ICH location and these scores are not established.
Methods: In this post-hoc analysis from a prospective cohort study, we included 153 spontaneous non-cerebellar
ICH patients. Wald test, univariable and multivariable logistic regression analysis were performed to investigate
the association between each score (and individual score components) and ICH location.
Results: Total SVD score was associated with non-lobar ICH location (Wald test: unadjusted, p = 0.017; adjusted,
p = 0.003); however, no individual component of total SVD score was significantly associated with non-lobar
ICH. CAA score was not significantly associated with lobar location (Wald test: unadjusted, p = 0.056;
adjusted, p = 0.126); cortical superficial siderosis (OR 8.85 [95%CI 1.23–63.65], p = 0.030) and ≥ 2 strictly
lobar microbleeds (OR 1.63 [95%CI 1.04–2.55], p = 0.035) were related with lobar ICH location, while white
matter hyperintensities showed an inverse relation (OR 0.53 [95%CI 0.26–1.08; p = 0.081]).
Conclusions: Total SVD score was associated with non-lobar ICH location. The lack of significant association
between CAA score and lobar ICH may in part be due to the mixed aetiology of lobar ICH, and to the inclusion of
white matter hyperintensities, a non-specific marker of SVD type, in the CAA score