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. 2012 Dec;33(11):2144-50.
doi: 10.3174/ajnr.A3133. Epub 2012 May 24.

Association between carotid artery plaque type and cerebral microbleeds

L Saba  1 , R Montisci, E Raz, R Sanfilippo, J S Suri, M Piga
Affiliations

Association between carotid artery plaque type and cerebral microbleeds

L Saba et al. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol. 2012 Dec.

Abstract

Background and purpose: CMBs have become increasingly recognized with the widespread use of MR imaging techniques that are sensitive to iron deposits. The purpose of this study was to correlate the presence of CMBs and carotid plaque characteristics.

Material and methods: Seventy consecutive patients (47 men; 23 women; mean age, 65 years) were prospectively analyzed. Carotid arteries were studied using a 16-detector row CT scanner, whereas the brain was explored with an MR imaging 1.5T system. CMBs were studied using a T2*-weighted GRE sequence. CMBs were classified by an ordinal scale and carotid plaques were characterized based on their composition as fatty, mixed, or calcified. Patients were classified as symptomatic and asymptomatic. Chi-square and multiple logistic regression analyses, as well as ROCs, were calculated.

Results: The prevalence of CMBs was 30%. A statistically significant difference in CMB prevalence was observed between symptomatic (46%) and asymptomatic (19%) patients (P value = .0021; OR = 3.7). Correlation analysis demonstrated an association between the number of CMBs and the symptoms (P = .0001). A statistically significant association was observed between the presence of fatty plaque and CMBs (P = .0019).

Conclusions: The results of this study suggest an association between the presence of carotid artery fatty plaque, symptoms, and CMBs. Moreover, we found that the presence (and entity) of CMBs may represent an indicator of cerebrovascular symptom severity.

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Figures

Fig 1.
Fig 1.
MR axial images that demonstrate the presence of CMBs. The white arrows indicate the CMBs.
Fig 2.
Fig 2.
CTA axial images that demonstrate (A) fatty plaque, (B) mixed plaque, and (C) calcified plaque.
Fig 3.
Fig 3.
ROC curves between presence of CMBs and (A) cerebrovascular symptoms, (B) stroke, (C) TIA, and (D) amaurosis.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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