Document Detail


Extent of intra-arterial calcification on head CT is predictive of the degree of intracranial atherosclerosis on digital subtraction angiography.
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  19468214     Owner:  NLM     Status:  MEDLINE    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
BACKGROUND: Intracranial intra-arterial calcifications (ICAC) are a common finding on head CT examinations, but their significance is not known. The aim of this study is to determine if a relationship exists between ICAC on head CT and the presence of a high-grade atherosclerotic stenosis on cerebral angiography. METHODS: This was a retrospective study of 108 consecutive patients admitted to the stroke service at Parkland Hospital in Dallas, Tex., USA. Each patient had undergone a head CT and catheter-based angiographic study to meet the inclusion criteria. Demographic information was recorded along with CT imaging data in regards to the amount of calcification. Angiographic images were reviewed independently, and a comparison was made to determine if calcification was predictive of finding a high-grade stenosis on angiography. RESULTS: A total of 108 consecutive patients with a mean age of 56 +/- 12 years were studied. Of the 540 vessels studied, 65 (12%) were found to have a stenosis of >or=50% on angiography, and 71 (13.1%) were found to have a calcium grade of 3 or 4 on head CT. ICAC appeared to be more common in the anterior circulation compared to the posterior circulation. Patients with grade 3 or 4 calcification of an intracranial vessel on head CT were more likely to have a stenosis of >or=50% on cerebral angiography. CONCLUSIONS: The presence of ICAC on head CT appears to correlate with the presence of an underlying intracranial stenosis on angiography. Further study is required to validate these preliminary findings.
Authors:
Mounzer Y Kassab; Rishi Gupta; Arshad Majid; Muhammad U Farooq; Brian P Giles; Mark D Johnson; Dion F Graybeal; George Rappard
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Publication Detail:
Type:  Journal Article     Date:  2009-05-20
Journal Detail:
Title:  Cerebrovascular diseases (Basel, Switzerland)     Volume:  28     ISSN:  1421-9786     ISO Abbreviation:  Cerebrovasc. Dis.     Publication Date:  2009  
Date Detail:
Created Date:  2009-06-23     Completed Date:  2009-09-23     Revised Date:  -    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  9100851     Medline TA:  Cerebrovasc Dis     Country:  Switzerland    
Other Details:
Languages:  eng     Pagination:  45-8     Citation Subset:  IM    
Copyright Information:
(c) 2009 S. Karger AG, Basel.
Affiliation:
Division of Cerebrovascular Diseases, Michigan State University and Sparrow Health System, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA. mounzer.kassab@ht.msu.edu
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MeSH Terms
Descriptor/Qualifier:
Adult
Aged
Angiography, Digital Subtraction
Calcinosis / radiography*
Cohort Studies
Constriction, Pathologic / radiography
Female
Humans
Intracranial Arterial Diseases / radiography*
Intracranial Arteriosclerosis / radiography*
Male
Middle Aged
Predictive Value of Tests
Retrospective Studies
Tomography, X-Ray Computed

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine


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