Prospective evaluation of the role of atherosclerosis on cerebral atrophy: pilot study.
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.
Erbay
Sami H
SH
Radiology Department, Tufts-New England Medical Center, Boston, MA 02111, USA. serbay@msn.com
O'Callaghan
Mark
M
Shah
Paraq
P
Kini
Jonathan
J
Bassett Midle
Jennifer
J
Polak
Joseph F
JF
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