Changes of Atherosclerotic Plaque in Cerebral Artery Stenosis According to High-Resolution MR Imaging

Abstract

Atherosclerosis can affect multiple arteries, and result in stroke and heart disease. Clinical and conventional imaging is insufficient to predict the progression of atherosclerosis. This study investigates risk factors that rely on high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (HR-MRI). Patients with cerebral artery stenosis who had undergone HR-MRI at least twice were included. The demographics, risk factors, and proportion of patients with cerebral artery stenosis were investigated. The association between atherosclerotic plaque characteristics and the progression or regression of artery stenosis was also analyzed. A total of 42 patients were analyzed, with a median follow-up of 16.88 ± 12.53 months. The mean age of all subjects was 63.1 ± 9.15 years, and 83.3% of them were male. The incidences of stenosis of the basilar, proximal internal carotid, and middle cerebral arteries were 21.4%, 61.9%, and 16.7%, respectively. Intraplaque hemorrhage (IPH) was detected in 20 (47.6%) patients. Multivariate analysis showed that age (odds ratio (OR), 0.87; p = 0.014), smoking (OR, 0.11; p = 0.033), and IPH regression (OR, 10.13; p = 0.027) were associated with stenosis regression. The progression of IPH (OR, 115.80; p = 0.007) was associated with stenosis progression. Results suggest that IPH on HR-MRI is associated with changes in cerebral atherosclerotic stenosis.

Higher Leukocyte Count Is Associated with Lower Presence of Carotid Lipid-Rich Necrotic Core: A Sub-Study in the Plaque at RISK (PARISK) Study

“…In addition, they showed that progression of IPH was related with progression of the plaque. This could be meaningful in predicting individual plaque risks [ 37 ]. In that way, we could learn more on plaque inflammation in relation to time and over different locations throughout the arterial vasculature.…”