Effect of Mid-Basilar Artery Angle and Plaque Characteristics on Pontine Infarction in Patients with Basilar Artery Plaque

Abstract

Aims: The basilar artery (BA) geometry and plaque characteristics may play an important role in the development of atherosclerosis. This study was performed to explore the relationship between the mid-BA angle and plaque characteristics and its effect on pontine infarction using high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging and three-dimensional time-of-flight magnetic resonance angiography. Methods: In total, 77 patients with BA plaques were included in this study. According to the presence of acute pontine infarction on diffusion-weighted imaging, the patients were divided into a pontine infarction group and pontine non-infarction group. The mid-BA angle, plaque burden, stenosis ratio, positive remodeling, and intraplaque hemorrhage were evaluated to investigate their effects on stroke. Results: The pontine infarction group had a greater plaque burden, stenosis ratio, positive remodeling, and mid-BA angle than the pontine non-infarction group. The correlation between the plaque burden and mid-BA angle was the highest (r=0.441, P ＜0.001). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the plaque burden (odds ratio, 1.164; 95% confidence interval, 1.093–1.241; P ＜0.001) was an independent risk factor for pontine infarction. Conclusion: The mid-BA angle may increase the incidence of pontine infarction by increasing the plaque burden.

High-Resolution Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Endovascular Treatment of Vertebrobasilar Junction Stenosis

“…The vertebrobasilar junction (VBJ) is the region where bilateral vertebral arteries (VAs) merge into the basilar artery, and it is a unique region that widely varies in its structure and angle 1 . These features deteriorate the vertebrobasilar vessel wall conditions to grow atherosclerosis through the influence on the hemodynamic pattern and vascular activity 2 …”