Intracranial Arterial Calcificationes Can Reflect Cerebral Atherosclerosis Burden

We investigated whether the intracranial arterial calcification status reflects the overall cerebral atherosclerosis burden.

Patients with acute cerebral infarction who were admitted to a single university hospital stroke center and underwent brain computed tomography angiography (CTA) between May 2011 and December 2015 were included. We reviewed their demographic, clinical, and imaging data. Cerebral artery calcification was assessed from the cavernous portion of both internal carotid arteries, and patients were categorized into three groups according to the calcification status. The cerebral atherosclerosis score was calculated as the sum of the degree of stenosis of the major intracranial and extracranial arteries on brain CTA.

In total, 1,161 patients were included (age=67±13 years, mean±standard deviation), of which 517 were female. Intracranial arterial calcification and atherosclerosis were detected in 921 patients. The cerebral atherosclerosis score tended to increase with the calcification status (no calcification=2.0±3.0, mild=3.8±3.8, severe=6.5±4.8; p<0.001 in analysis of variance followed by the Bonferroni test). Multivariable logistic regression analysis including age, sex, vascular risk factors, body mass index, estimated glomerular filtration rate, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, and calcification status showed that intracranial calcification was independently associated with an advanced cerebral atherosclerosis burden in a dose-dependent manner (compared to no calcification: odds ratio=2.0 and 95% confidence interval=1.1-3.4 for mild calcification, and odds ratio=4.7 and 95% confidence interval=2.7-8.3 for severe calcification).

This study found that the calcification status of the cavernous portion of an internal carotid artery can reflect the overall cerebral atherosclerosis burden.