title: Relationship between cerebral atherosclerosis and leukoaraiosis in aged patients: results from DSA.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  There are some controversial results on the relationship between cerebral atherosclerosis and leukoaraiosis in the published papers, where cerebral atherosclerosis was often evaluated by ultrasonography, CTA or MRA. We analyzed data in which patients underwent both MRI and DSA to explore the above relationship in the aged people.
  
  
  METHODS
  Three hundred and thirty-three patients were enrolled in the study from the Nanjing Stroke Registry. They underwent both cerebral DSA and MRI. Age, sex, and vascular risk factors were collected. Atherosclerosis was scored from grade 0 to 4. Leukoaraiosis was scored from grade 0 to 3.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Cerebral artery stenosis was not correlated with the presence of leukoaraiosis. There were no correlations between the number of cerebral moderately or more severely stenotic arteries and the severity of leukoaraiosis in periventricular, deep, or whole white matter (P = .747, .268, and .608, respectively). Old age (odds ratio = 1.103, P = .027) and hypertension (odds ratio = 2.748, P = .003) were correlated with leukoaraiosis in the periventricular white matter. Old age (odds ratio = 1.073, P = .031) and prior stroke (odds ratio = 2.678, P = .002) were correlated with leukoaraiosis in the deep white matter.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  No apparent correlation exists between cerebral artery stenosis and the presence and severity of leukoaraiosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Jinling Hospital, Nanjing, China.
authors.forename: Hua
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Gelin
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Yunyun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xiong
authors.forename: Wusheng
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Qin
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Yin
authors.forename: Xiaobing
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Fan
authors.forename: Wenhua
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Zuowei
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Duan
authors.forename: Xinfeng
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D015901:Angiography, Digital Subtraction / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015984:Causality; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D002537:Intracranial Arteriosclerosis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D049292:Leukoaraiosis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D018810:Magnetic Resonance Angiography / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D012042:Registries; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012307:Risk Factors; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D017678:Sex Distribution
keywords: Leukoaraiosis; atherosclerosis; digital subtraction angiography; ischemic stroke