Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2020 Mar;30(2):233-239.
doi: 10.1111/jon.12684. Epub 2019 Dec 30.

Carotid Atherosclerosis is Associated with Middle Cerebral Artery Pulsatility Index

Thea Vigen  1   2   3 , Håkon Ihle-Hansen  4 , Magnus N Lyngbakken  1   2   5 , Trygve Berge  4 , Bente Thommessen  1   3 , Hege Ihle-Hansen  2   4 , Eivind B Orstad  1   5 , Steve Enger  4 , Helge Røsjø  1   2   5 , Arnljot Tveit  2   4 , Ole Morten Rønning  1   2   3
Affiliations

Carotid Atherosclerosis is Associated with Middle Cerebral Artery Pulsatility Index

Thea Vigen et al. J Neuroimaging. 2020 Mar.

Abstract

Background and purpose: Pulsatility index (PI) in the middle cerebral artery (MCA) is considered a measure of peripheral vascular resistance. Several established cardiovascular risk factors are common for both MCA PI and carotid atherosclerosis. Accordingly, in the present study we hypothesized an association between ultrasound-derived indices of carotid atherosclerosis and MCA PI.

Methods: All residents in Akershus County, born in 1950, were invited to a cardiovascular examination, The Akershus Cardiac Examination (ACE) 1950 Study (2012-2015). A thorough ultrasound examination was performed to assess indices of atherosclerosis in the carotid arteries, and PI in the MCAs. In all, 3154 (85.1%) had adequate transcranial and carotid data. Associations between indices of carotid atherosclerosis and MCA PI were assessed by regression analyses adjusted for established cardiovascular risk factors.

Results: Mean age was 64 (standard deviation [SD]: .6) years, and 1,357 (43%) were women. Mean MCA PI was .97 (SD: .17). Participants in the upper quartile of MCA PI had higher pulse pressure, more frequently hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and a history of coronary artery disease. Both carotid plaque score (B .007 [95% CI: .003-.010]) and carotid intimamedia thickness (B .173 [95% CI: .120-.226]) were significantly associated with MCA PI in adjusted analysis. The model R2 was .055.

Conclusion: In a population-based sample of middle-aged adults, ultrasound-derived indices of carotid atherosclerosis were independently associated with MCA PI. However, the overall explained variance of MCA PI was low, suggesting other factors than atherosclerosis and cardiovascular risk factors to play an important role for MCA PI.

Keywords: Carotid atherosclerosis; middle cerebral artery; pulsatility index; transcranial Doppler; ultrasound.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Katan M, Luft A. Global burden of stroke. Semin Neurol 2018;38:208-11.
    1. Feigin VL, Nguyen G, Cercy K, et al. Global, regional, and country-specific lifetime risks of stroke, 1990 and 2016. N Engl J Med 2018;379:2429-37.
    1. Bogiatzi C, Hackam DG, McLeod AI, Spence JD. Secular trends in ischemic stroke subtypes and stroke risk factors. Stroke 2014;45:3208-13.
    1. Romero JR, Beiser A, Seshadri S, et al. Carotid artery atherosclerosis, mri indices of brain ischemia, aging, and cognitive impairment: the framingham study. Stroke 2009;40:1590-6.
    1. Manolio TA, Burke GL, O'Leary DH, et al. Relationships of cerebral mri findings to ultrasonographic carotid atherosclerosis in older adults: the cardiovascular health study. Chs collaborative research group. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol 1999;19:356-65.

Publication types