Fazekas Scale (White Matter Hyperintensities)
Fazekas scale (Fazekas 1987) of white matter hyperintensities on brain MRI (FLAIR preferred) — rated separately for the periventricular (PVH) and deep white matter (DWMH) regions, each 0-3.
Open the calculator → Runs in your browser. Data leaves only if you deliberately send a problem report from the interactive tool.
Example
- Periventricular (PVH) grade
- 2 - smooth halo
- Deep white matter (DWMH) grade
- 2 - beginning confluence of foci
Result: Fazekas periventricular grade 2 (smooth halo) and deep white matter grade 2 (beginning confluence); combined 4 of 6.
The tool opens with these values already filled in. Replace them with your own.
What the result means
- PVH 0-3
- Periventricular: 0 absent; 1 caps / pencil-thin lining; 2 smooth halo; 3 irregular, extending into the deep white matter.
- DWMH 0-3
- Deep white matter: 0 absent; 1 punctate foci; 2 beginning confluence; 3 large confluent areas.
- Burden
- Higher grades indicate a greater white-matter-disease burden, read in the clinical context (age, vascular risk, cognition). Not a diagnosis on its own.
What you enter
- Periventricular (PVH) grade
- Deep white matter (DWMH) grade
How this is calculated
Fazekas F, Chawluk JB, Alavi A, Hurtig HI, Zimmerman RA. MR signal abnormalities at 1.5 T in Alzheimer's dementia and normal aging. AJR Am J Roentgenol. 1987;149(2):351-356. Read the source ↗
A reference and educational tool. Not medical, legal, or financial advice, and not a substitute for clinician judgment.