title: Compensatory remodeling in symptomatic middle cerebral artery atherosclerotic stenosis: a high-resolution MRI and microemboli monitoring study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the existence of an association between compensatory remodeling in symptomatic middle cerebral artery atherosclerotic stenosis with high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (HR MRI) and transcranial color Doppler monitoring of microembolic  signals (MESs).
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 36 consecutive patients with symptomatic middle cerebral artery atherosclerotic stenosis underwent MES monitoring by transcranial color Doppler and 3-T HR MRI. Proton density-weighted cross-sectional images with submillimeter voxel size were obtained.  The remodeling patterns and plaque morphology of the sites of maximal luminal narrowing were analyzed in terms of their association with the MES data.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Positive remodeling (PR) was found in 16 lesions (44·4%). The remodeling index was 1·11±0·05  in the PR group and 0·99±0·05 in the non-PR group (P<0·0001). Compared with the non-PR group, the PR group had a greater vessel area (19·97±1·42 mm(2) versus 18·23±1·23 mm(2)) and greater wall  area (16·93±1·47 mm(2) versus 14·93±1·52 mm(2); both P<0·0001) at the sites of maximal luminal narrowing. Finally, MESs were observed more frequently in the PR group than in the non-PR group (62·5% versus 15·0%,  P = 0·003).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In patients with symptomatic middle cerebral artery atherosclerotic stenosis, MESs were observed more frequently in the PR group than in the non-PR group.
authors.affiliation: The First Bethune Hospital of Jilin University, Jilin University, Changchun, China.
authors.forename: Ming-Chao
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.forename: Shou-Chun
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Hong-Wei
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Ying-Qi
authors.initials: YQ
authors.lastname: Xing
authors.forename: Yan-Hua
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: Jia-Chun
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.forename: Jiang
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D003251:Constriction, Pathologic / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020766:Intracranial Embolism / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020768:Middle Cerebral Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D017585:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Transcranial