Cerebral small-vessel disease and postoperative delirium in elderly non-cardiac surgical patients

The authors investigate the relationship between cerebral small-vessel disease and postoperative delirium in elderly non-cardiac surgical patients, hypothesizing that a higher burden of cerebral small-vessel disease is associated with an increased risk of delirium. Their findings reveal that pre-existing cerebral small-vessel disease significantly elevates the odds of postoperative delirium, with nearly half of the cases in the study potentially attributable to this condition. Specifically, lacunes and white matter hyperintensities were identified as key contributors to the increased risk.