Index by author
Zwartbol, M.H.T.
- EDITOR'S CHOICEAdult BrainOpen AccessIntracranial Atherosclerotic Burden on 7T MRI Is Associated with Markers of Extracranial Atherosclerosis: The SMART-MR StudyM.H.T. Zwartbol, M.I. Geerlings, R. Ghaznawi, J. Hendrikse, A.G. van der Kolk and on behalf of the UCC-SMART Study GroupAmerican Journal of Neuroradiology December 2019, 40 (12) 2016-2022; DOI: https://doi.org/10.3174/ajnr.A6308
Intracranial atherosclerosis, a major risk factor for ischemic stroke, is thought to have different atherogenic mechanisms than extracranial atherosclerosis. Studies investigating their relationship in vivo are sparse and report inconsistent results. Within the Second Manifestations of ARTerial disease–Magnetic Resonance (SMART) Study, cross-sectional analyses were performed in 130 patients with a history of vascular disease and with assessable 7T intracranial vessel wall MR imaging data. Intracranial atherosclerosis burden was defined as the number of intracranial vessel wall lesions in the circle of Willis and its major branches. Significant associations were observed between higher intracranial atherosclerosis burden and carotid intima-media thickness, 50%–100% carotid stenosis versus no stenosis, ankle-brachial index, and estimated glomerular filtration rate. No significant differences in intracranial atherosclerosis burden were found among different categories of vascular disease.