Irregular surface of carotid atherosclerotic plaque is associated with ischemic stroke: a magnetic resonance imaging study.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To determine the association between the irregularity of carotid plaque surface using multidimensional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of ipsilateral acute cerebral infarction (ACI) cases. METHODS: Patients with recent cerebrovascular symptoms (stroke or transient ischemic attack < 2 weeks) and atherosclerotic plaque in at least one carotid artery were diagnosed by B-mode ultrasound imaging (intima-media thickness ≥ 1.5 mm) and recruited for the present study. Irregular surface was defined when plaque surface was uneven with high and low fluctuation or plaque with surface ulceration. The irregularity of carotid plaque surface was determined on axial or oblique images alone (single-dimension) and on both axial images and oblique images (multidimensions), separately. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to calculate the odds ratio (OR) and the corresponding 95% CI of the irregular plaque surface in discriminating the presence of ipsilateral ACI. RESULTS: < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The irregular plaque surface was determined by multidimensional MRI as an independent indicator for ipsilateral acute cerebral infarction.