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Assessing Cortical Cerebral Microinfarcts on High Resolution MR Images
Published on: November 20, 2015
Application of high-resolution MRI in evaluating statin efficacy on symptomatic intracranial atherosclerosis
Juan Huang1, Cong Liu2, Sheng Jiao1
1Department of Radiology, Beijing Hospital, National Center of Gerontology; Institute of Geriatric Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China.
Insights
Statins effectively reduce plaque burden and stabilize intracranial atherosclerotic plaques. High-resolution MRI confirms these plaque changes, with efficacy influenced by duration of use and patient factors.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Cardiology
- Radiology
Background:
- Symptomatic intracranial atherosclerotic plaques pose a significant risk for recurrent stroke.
- Statins are widely used for cardiovascular risk reduction, but their direct impact on intracranial plaque characteristics requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the efficacy of statin therapy in reducing the burden and stabilizing intracranial atherosclerotic plaques.
- To assess plaque changes using high-resolution 3.0 Tesla MR vessel wall imaging (HR-MRI).
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of 48 patients with symptomatic intracranial atherosclerotic plaques confirmed by HR-MRI.
- Patients received statin therapy, with follow-up HR-MRI after at least 3 months.
- Statistical analysis included paired sample t-tests, Wilcoxon rank sum tests, and multivariate linear regression.
Main Results:
- Long-term statin therapy (>6 months) significantly reduced plaque length, wall thickness, plaque burden, luminal stenosis, and plaque enhancement.
- Similar improvements were observed in patients with good lipid control.
- Factors associated with reduced plaque burden included younger age, lower BMI, and hypertension; decreased plaque enhancement was linked to lower BMI, hypertension, and longer statin duration.
Conclusions:
- HR-MRI is a valuable tool for assessing statin efficacy on intracranial atherosclerotic plaques.
- Statins demonstrably reduce plaque burden and promote plaque stabilization.
- Statin efficacy is influenced by treatment duration, lipid control, and patient-specific factors like age, BMI, and hypertension.
Objectives:
To investigate the efficacy of statins on symptomatic intracranial atherosclerotic plaques using high-resolution 3.0 T MR vessel wall imaging (HR-MRI).
Methods:
Patients with symptomatic intracranial atherosclerotic plaques (cerebral ischemic events within the last three months) confirmed by HR-MRI from July 2017 to August 2022 were retrospectively included in this study. The enrolled patients started statin therapy at baseline. All the patients underwent the follow-up HR-MRI examination after statin therapy for at least 3 months. A paired sample t-test and Wilcoxon rank sum test were used to evaluate the changes in plaque characteristics after statin therapy. Multivariate linear regression was further used to investigate the clinical factors associated with statin efficacy.
Results:
A total of 48 patients (37 males; overall mean age = 60.2 ± 11.7 years) were included in this study. The follow-up time was 7.0 (5.6-12.0) months. In patients treated with statins for > 6 months (n = 31), plaque length, wall thickness, plaque burden, luminal stenosis and plaque enhancement were significantly reduced. Similar results were found in patients with good lipid control (n = 21). Younger age, lower BMI and hypertension were associated with decreased plaque burden. Lower BMI, hypertension and longer duration of statin therapy were associated with decreased plaque enhancement. Younger age and hypertension were associated with decreased luminal stenosis (all p < 0.05).
Conclusion:
HR-MRI can effectively evaluate plaques changes after statin therapy. Statins can reduce plaque burden and stabilize plaques. The effect of statin may have a relationship with age, BMI, hypertension, and duration of statin therapy.
Clinical Relevance Statement:
High-resolution MRI can be applied to evaluate the efficacy of statins on symptomatic intracranial atherosclerotic plaques. Long-term statin use and well-controlled blood lipid levels can help reduce plaque burden and stabilize plaques.
Key Points:
High-resolution MRI provides great help evaluating the changes of plaque characteristics after statin therapy. Efficacy of statins is associated with duration of use, controlled lipid levels, and clinical factors. High-resolution MRI can serve as an effective method for following-up symptomatic intracranial atherosclerosis.
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