A case report of Binswanger type encephalopathy manifested after coronary artery bypass grafting

A 68-year-old man showed signs of dementia after undergoing triple CABG with cardiopulmonary bypass. Brain CT revealed widespread atrophy and lucency in white matter without any sign of stroke. No critical stenosis in cervical vessels was found in duplex scanning. He kept politeness well, but had severe memory impairment. These findings were characteristic of Binswanger type encephalopathy which must have been latent preoperatively. This disease is caused by ischemic damage in brain stem and white matter due mainly to atherosclerotic micro cerebrovasculopathy, and highly related to hypertension. We have to be aware of intracranial cerebrovascular disease when assessing the risk of brain damage in candidates for CABG.