title: The association between cerebral atherosclerosis and arterial stiffness in acute ischemic stroke.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Arterial stiffness is associated with cardiovascular risk factors and atherosclerosis. Measurement of pulse wave velocity (PWV) is one of the most representative and noninvasive techniques for assessing arterial stiffness. We investigated the association of cerebral atherosclerosis with brachial-ankle PWV (baPWV) in acute ischemic stroke patients. If present, we sought to determine whether the relationship differed between atherosclerosis in the intracranial artery and atherosclerosis in the extracranial artery.
  
  
  METHODS
  We included 801 patients with acute ischemic stroke who had undergone angiographic study and baPWV measurement between January 2007 and May 2010. Patients with cerebral artery atherosclerosis were categorized into those with intracranial atherosclerosis, those with extracranial atherosclerosis and those with both intracranial and extracranial atherosclerosis. We determined factors that were associated with baPWV.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Univariate and multivariate analyses showed that high baPWV was significantly associated with older age, lower body mass index, higher brachial systolic pressure, and diabetes mellitus. Increased baPWV was associated with the presence of atherosclerosis (≥ 50% stenosis) in the intracranial cerebral artery as well as in both the intracranial and extracranial arteries, but not with atherosclerosis in the extracranial cerebral artery. The burden of intracranial cerebral atherosclerosis, which was assessed based on the number of arteries with atherosclerosis, was also closely associated with baPWV.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Arterial stiffness was associated with the presence and burden of intracranial cerebral atherosclerosis in stroke patients, but was not associated with the extracranial cerebral atherosclerosis. These findings suggest a potential pathophysiological association between increased arterial stiffness and intracranial cerebral atherosclerosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.
authors.forename: Jinkwon
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Myoung-Jin
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Cha
authors.forename: Dong Hyun
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Hye Sun
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Chung Mo
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Nam
authors.forename: Hyo Suk
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Nam
authors.forename: Young Dae
authors.initials: YD
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Ji Hoe
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Heo
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D015901:Angiography, Digital Subtraction; D055109:Ankle Brachial Index; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002533:Cerebral Angiography / Q000379:methods; D002536:Cerebral Arteries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004548:Elasticity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D002537:Intracranial Arteriosclerosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D016014:Linear Models; D018810:Magnetic Resonance Angiography; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D058729:Peripheral Arterial Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011673:Pulsatile Flow; D012042:Registries; D056910:Republic of Korea / Q000453:epidemiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D020521:Stroke / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed