title: Prospective evaluation of the role of atherosclerosis on cerebral atrophy: pilot study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Our purpose was to study the association between atherosclerosis measured by arterial calcium on computed tomography (CT) and cerebral atrophy demonstrated by brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
  
  
  METHODS
  IRB approved this prospective study. Twenty-one consecutive patients with acute stroke-like symptoms who are scheduled to have brain MRI were recruited on a voluntary basis. electrocardiogram (ECG)-gated helical CT scans were used to determine the arterial calcium as a reliable index of underlying atherosclerosis. Extracranial arterial calcium content was measured quantitatively by special software available in our CT scanner. Intracranial calcium was graded qualitatively. Brain MRI was independently evaluated to identify cortical, central atrophy, and ischemic changes. Relationship between CT demonstrated atherosclerosis and cerebral ischemic changes, brain atrophy patterns were evaluated both without and with adjustment for age and hypertension.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Out of 21 patients 20 were included in final study group. There was no correlation between atherosclerotic calcium measures and cortical atrophy, ischemic findings. Both intracranial and extracranial atherosclerosis had partial correlation with central atrophy (R= 0.43 and 0.52, respectively). After adjustment for age, only intracranial atherosclerosis maintained a partial correlation with central atrophy (R= 0.41). However, this correlation did not reach a statistically significant level (P= .10).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Intracranial atherosclerosis demonstrated a possible correlation with central atrophy.
authors.affiliation: Radiology Department, Tufts-New England Medical Center, Boston, MA 02111, USA. serbay@msn.com
authors.forename: Sami H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Erbay
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: O'Callaghan
authors.forename: Paraq
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Shah
authors.forename: Jonathan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kini
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bassett Midle
authors.forename: Joseph F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Polak
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001284:Atrophy; D002114:Calcinosis / Q000175:diagnosis; D016893:Carotid Stenosis / Q000175:diagnosis; D002533:Cerebral Angiography; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000473:pathology*; D002544:Cerebral Infarction / Q000175:diagnosis*; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000175:diagnosis; D004292:Dominance, Cerebral / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000175:diagnosis; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D002537:Intracranial Arteriosclerosis / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D036542:Tomography, Spiral Computed