title: Asymptomatic Carotid T1-High-Intense Plaque as a Risk Factor for a Subsequent Cerebrovascular Ischemic Event.
abstract: Intraplaque hemorrhage, detected as a high-signal intensity on carotid MRI, is also strongly associated with ischemic events in symptomatic patients. However, in asymptomatic patients, the relationship of the T1-high intense plaque and the subsequent stroke is not clear. The aim of this study is to test the hypothesis that asymptomatic carotid T1-high intense plaque is a risk factor for a subsequent cerebrovascular ischemic event.
  
  
  
  Of the 1,353 consecutive patients, who underwent head and carotid MRI as part of their annual medical check-up, the imaging quality of 13 was poor and 150 did not present for follow-up examination, thus leaving 1,190 subjects for evaluation. Of the 1,190 patients, 96 patients had findings of high-signal intensity on carotid MRI and 1,094 patients did not. Cerebrovascular events were retrospectively evaluated.
  
  
  
  During a mean follow-up period of 53 months, 4 patients with high-signal intensities on carotid MRI (4%) and 3 with no findings (0.3%) had a cerebrovascular ischemic event, with the occurrences significantly higher in the high-signal-intensity group. (p < 0.01) Cox regression analysis indicated that the presence of the high-intense plaque on carotid MRI (hazard ratio [HR] 4.2; 95% CI 1.0-17.1; p = 0.04), age (HR 1.1; 95% CI 1.0-1.2; p = 0.003), and diabetes mellitus (HR 7.2; 95% CI 1.8-27.4; p = 0.004) were associated with the occurrence of subsequent ischemic cerebrovascular events.
  
  
  
  Asymptomatic carotid T1-high-intense plaque might be a potential high-risk factor for a subsequent cerebrovascular ischemic event.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Kurashiki Central Hospital, Kurashiki, Japan.
authors.forename: Yoshitaka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kurosaki
authors.forename: Kazumichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yoshida
authors.forename: Hitoshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Fukuda
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Handa
authors.forename: Masaki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chin
authors.forename: Sen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yamagata
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D058070:Asymptomatic Diseases; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology*; D002339:Carotid Arteries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D002340:Carotid Artery Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D006470:Hemorrhage / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D058226:Plaque, Atherosclerotic; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D012422:Rupture, Spontaneous; D013997:Time Factors
keywords: Carotid MRI; Carotid artery disease; Intraplaque hemorrhage