Prevalence and prognosis of coexistent asymptomatic intracranial stenosis.
OBJECTIVE
There are limited data on the prevalence and prognosis of asymptomatic intracranial stenosis (AIS).


METHODS
Baseline cerebral angiograms and MR angiograms were used to determine AIS (50% to 99%) coexistent to symptomatic intracranial stenosis for patients enrolled in the Warfarin-Aspirin Symptomatic Intracranial Disease study.


RESULTS
Coexisting AIS were detected in 18.9% (n=14/74) of patients undergoing 4-vessel cerebral angiography and 27.3% (n=65/238) of patients undergoing MR angiogram. During a mean follow-up period of 1.8 years, no ischemic strokes were attributable to an AIS on cerebral angiography and 5 ischemic strokes (5.9%, 95% CI: 2.1% to 12.3%) occurred in the AIS territory on MR angiogram (risk at 1 year=3.5%, 95% CI: 0.8% to 9.0%).


CONCLUSIONS
Whereas the prevalence of coexisting AIS (50% to 99%) in patients with symptomatic stenosis is high, the risk of stroke from these asymptomatic stenoses is low.
Nahab
Fadi
F
Cotsonis
George
G
Lynn
Michael
M
Feldmann
Edward
E
Chaturvedi
Seemant
S
Hemphill
J Claude
JC
Zweifler
Richard
R
Johnston
Karen
K
Bonovich
David
D
Kasner
Scott
S
Chimowitz
Marc
M
D000368:Aged; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000150:complications / Q000209:etiology; D002533:Cerebral Angiography; D003251:Constriction, Pathologic; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D002537:Intracranial Arteriosclerosis / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D018810:Magnetic Resonance Angiography; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D011379:Prognosis; D018570:Risk Assessment; D020521:Stroke / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology