title: Intracranial artery atherosclerosis and lumen dilation in cerebral small-vessel diseases: a high-resolution MRI Study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Using high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (HR-MRI), we aimed to investigate the abnormalities of intracranial artery in relation to cerebral small-vessel diseases (SVD)-related ischemic stroke and white matter lesions (WMLs).
  
  
  METHODS
  Routine cranial MRI and HR-MRI were performed on consecutive patients with a SVD-related acute deep brain infarct (DBI) in the territory of middle cerebral artery (MCA), patients with SVD-related WMLs, and age-matched controls. The presence and distribution of MCA plaque and the area of MCA lumen and wall were comparatively analyzed among the groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 2340 image slices of 260 vessels in 130 subjects (57 with an acute DBI, 28 with WMLs, and 45 control subjects) were analyzed. In the patients with a DBI, eccentric plaques were identified in 26 vessels ipsilateral and 24 vessels contralateral to the ischemic lesions. Superior-wall plaques of MCA were observed more frequently ipsilateral than contralateral to the infarcts (69.2% vs. 37.5%, P = 0.025). Compared to the controls, larger outer-wall boundary area (P ≤ 0.017) and wall area (P < 0.001) were observed in the patients, while larger lumen was only observed in the WMLs group (P < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Middle cerebral artery superior-wall plaques are associated with acute DBIs, while MCA lumen dilation is associated with WMLs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Wei-Hai
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Ming-Li
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Jing-Wen
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Niu
authors.forename: Feng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.forename: Zheng-Yu
authors.initials: ZY
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.forename: Shan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gao
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D001921:Brain / Q000098:blood supply / Q000473:pathology; D020520:Brain Infarction / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology*; D002533:Cerebral Angiography; D059345:Cerebral Small Vessel Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D002537:Intracranial Arteriosclerosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology*; D018810:Magnetic Resonance Angiography; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020768:Middle Cerebral Artery / Q000473:pathology*; D009929:Organ Size; D058226:Plaque, Atherosclerotic / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology*
keywords: Atheroma; Lacunar infarct; Magnetic resonance imaging; Middle cerebral artery; White matter lesions