Quantitative Analysis of Intracranial Atherosclerosis and Its Correlation with Ischemic Cerebrovascular Disease and Prognosis

Background: Intracranial atherosclerosis disease (ICAD) represents a significant etiology of stroke. This study aimed to evaluate correlations between intracranial atherosclerotic burden and risk of ischemic events. Methods: In this prospective observational study, all enrolled patients underwent High-Resolution Magnetic Resonance vessel wall Imaging (HR MR-VMI) within two weeks of onset, or of enrollment. Baseline assessments included modified American Heart Association plaque type, stenosis degree, intra-plaque hemorrhage (IPH), plaque thickness, plaque length, and vessel wall enhancement. Modified Rankin Scale (mRS) was followed with one-year treatment in adherence to the guidelines. Comparative analyses were conducted between symptomatic and asymptomatic groups, culprit versus non-culprit plaques, and favorable versus poor prognosis groups. Results: The study included 129 symptomatic and 42 asymptomatic patients. Hypertension, diabetes, and smoking were more prevalent in patients in the symptomatic group. Vulnerable plaque (97.7% vs. 64.3%, p = 0.003), IPH (17.8% vs. 4.8%, p = 0.022) and higher stenosis degree (χ2 = 2.675, p = 0.008) were significantly more prevalent in the symptomatic group. Culprit plaques were predominantly located in the superior wall of the middle cerebral artery (MCA) (χ2 = 15.561, p = 0.001) and the left wall of the basilar artery (χ2 = 34.138, p = 0.008). Factors associated with poor prognosis included older age (63.63 ± 8.19 vs. 55.63 ± 13.15, p = 0.001), presence of IPH (31.82% vs. 14.29%, p = 0.037), and elevated D-dimer levels (0.77 ± 0.60 vs. 0.40 ± 0.36, p = 0.022). Conclusions: Vulnerable plaque, specific lesion locations, and higher stenosis degree are significantly associated with ischemic events in ICAD. While plaque enhancement and stenosis correlate with stroke occurrence, they show no clear association with prognosis. Neither the length nor the thickness of plaques manifests a significant correlation with either stroke events or the prognostic outcomes.