Key result
Proximal vertebral artery atherosclerosis linked to ~131% greater risk of posterior circulation brain infarction.
Why the study?
The prevalence of proximal extracranial atherosclerosis is considered infrequent and benign but may be underestimated due to lack of data.
What is the prevalence of proximal extracranial atherosclerosis in patients with fatal stroke?
Population
339 consecutive autopsies of patients with fatal stroke
Comparison
Brain infarction patients vs brain hemorrhage patients; posterior vs anterior circulation infarctions
Design
Systematic autopsy analysis with case-control comparisons
Authors
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Proximal extracranial atherosclerosis may warrant systematic imaging in posterior-circulation stroke evaluation; leaves open causal contribution pending prospective studies.
Case-Control (n=339)
What is the prevalence of proximal extracranial atherosclerosis in patients with fatal stroke?
Odds Ratio: 2.31 (95% CI 1.28–4.17)
Proximal extracranial atherosclerosis is highly prevalent in patients with fatal stroke and is significantly associated with brainstem infarcts, emphasizing the need for systematic evaluation of these vascular territories.
Mazighi et al. (2009) conducted a case-control in Fatal stroke (n=339). Atherosclerosis in the proximal vertebral artery vs. Isolated anterior circulation infarctions was evaluated on Posterior circulation brain infarction (OR 2.31, 95% CI 1.28-4.17). Atherosclerosis in the proximal vertebral artery was significantly associated with posterior circulation brain infarction (OR 2.31; 95% CI 1.28-4.17 for plaques).
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