Abstract #2981

Reduced brain sodium and elevated cerebral blood flow in women with lipedema

Kalen J. Petersen¹, Maria Garza¹, Paula Donahue², Kevin Harkins³, Manus Donahue^1,4,5, and Rachelle Crescenzi¹

¹Radiology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, United States, ²Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, United States, ³Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, United States, ⁴Neurology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, United States, ⁵Psychiatry, Vanderbilt University Medical Cener, Nashville, TN, United States

Patients with the adipose disorder lipedema exhibit elevated sodium in the extremities, potentially due to blood or lymphatic vasculopathy. Despite evidence of psychological symptoms, these parameters have not been examined in the brain. We utilized multi-nuclear imaging (²³Na-MRI) and arterial spin labeling to test whether dysregulation of brain sodium and perfusion is present in women with (n=15) versus without (n=18) lipedema. We observed lower brain sodium (61.3±6.9 vs. 67.9±5.8mmol/L; p=0.03) and higher cerebral blood flow (43.3±7.0 vs. 37.9±6.3ml blood/100mg tissue/min; p=0.03) in lipedema compared to control participants. Results suggest that brain sodium and hemodynamic dysregulation may exist in lipedema patients.

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