Middle Cerebral Artery Atherosclerosis and Deep Subcortical Infarction: A 3T Magnetic Resonance Vessel Wall Imaging Study

Journal of Stroke and Cerebrovascular Diseases : the Official Journal of National Stroke Association
Mi ShenHao Li

Abstract

Deep subcortical infarction is a major subtype of stroke in middle cerebral artery (MCA) territory. This study aims to evaluate the relationship between characteristics of MCA plaque and features of deep subcortical infarction. Patients with recent acute ischemic stroke and deep subcortical infarction were prospectively enrolled. Both multicontrast brain sequences and 3D high-resolution vessel wall imaging (VWI) sequences were scanned for all patients. MCA plaque characteristics, including plaque presence, location, maximum vessel wall thickness (Max WT), signal intensity and luminal stenosis, and deep subcortical infarction features, including lowest infarct layer index (LILI), area, volume, maximum area, and infarct quantity were evaluated. Infarct feature differences were compared between MCA plaque+ group and MCA plaque- group. The correlations between MCA plaque characteristics and deep subcortical infarction features were analyzed. Of all 50 patients included in this study, 30 (60%) had MCA plaques. All deep subcortical infarction was single lesion for patients without MCA plaque. The average number of deep subcortical infarction for patients with MCA plaque was 3.10 ± 4.44. The LILI (P = .036) and infarct quantity (P = ....Continue Reading

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