Carotid plaque predicts progression of intracranial atherosclerosis: A MR imaging-based community cohort study

Intracranial atherosclerotic disease progression is associated with recurrent stroke risk. In the present study, we investigated the association between carotid plaque and intracranial atherosclerosis progression in stroke-free participants using MR vessel wall imaging. In 312 participants recruited from a community cohort, we found that carotid plaque was independently associated with intracranial atherosclerosis progression during around 3-years’s follow-up. Our findings suggest that carotid plaque may be an effective predictor for intracranial atherosclerosis progression.