Intracranial Arterial Calcifications Linked to Acute Ischemic Stroke Risk

Introduction Intracranial arterial calcifications (CAI) are a common finding on computed tomography (CT) imaging in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS). We aimed to determine the association between CAI and the development of AIS. Materials and Methods A case‐control study was performed. The sample of patients consisted in 49 cases consisted of patients with AIS confirmed by CT from March to May of 2024 and registered in the i‐ReNe stroke database of the Neurology Service of the Hospital Universitario “Dr. José Eleuterio González”; these patients were age (±2 years) and gender‐matched with controls, and 40 controls being patients who underwent a cranial CT scan with a diagnosis other than AIS. The qualitative presence of CAI was defined as the finding of voxels ≥130 HU in the arterial pathway within a predefined bone window in the CT viewing program Synapse. A logistic regression model was performed to determine the association between CAI with AIS. Results A total of 89 patients were included, 49 with AIS and 40 controls. There were no significant differences in age, gender, or comorbidities between the groups. The most prevalent risk factors were hypertension (63.6%) and diabetes mellitus (54.5%). The prevalence of CAI was 63.9%, being significantly higher in cases (93.3% vs 42.9%, p=0.002); the most affected region in both groups was the carotid siphons. There is an association between the presence of CAI and the development of AIS (OR=24.4, p=0.011). Conclusions The presence of CAI was associated with the development of AIS, therefore, its detection on CT could be a useful stroke risk marker.