부산대학교 도서관

As the population ages in Japan, an increasing number of elderly patients are receiving surgical treatments under general anesthesia. Therefore, postoperative cognitive dysfunction（POCD）has been recognized as a common and important problem in elderly patients following surgery, in addition to delirium. Recent research suggests many risk factors of POCD such as old age, cognitive decline prior to surgery, cerebral white matter lesions, invasive surgical procedures, and certain kinds of anesthetic agents. On the other hand, the pathophysiological mechanism of POCD has not been clearly elucidated. Moreover, methods for evaluating cognitive dysfunction are controversial, and diagnostic criteria for POCD are still ambiguous. In this report, we describe the risk factors and potential pathogenesis of POCD based on previous studies while comparing it with post-stroke dementia because of similarities between the two conditions.