Vessel wall magnetic resonance imaging of symptomatic middle cerebral artery atherosclerosis: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Vessel wall magnetic resonance imaging of symptomatic middle cerebral artery atherosclerosis: A systematic review and meta-analysis

A comprehensive understanding of atherosclerotic middle cerebral artery (MCA) plaques aids physicians in diagnosis and treatment of ischemic stroke. High-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been used to identify imaging biomarkers of symptomatic MCA plaque. We performed this systematic r...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Clinical imaging 2022-10, Vol.90, p.90-96
Main Authors: Yang, Rongwei, Yuan, Jiang, Chen, Xiuen, Xie, Xufeng, Ye, Ziming, Qin, Chao
Format: Article
Language:eng
Subjects:
Arteriosclerosis
Asymptomatic
Atherosclerosis
Bias
Biomarkers
Cross-sectional studies
Decision making
Design parameters
High resolution
Image resolution
Ischemia
Ischemic stroke
Longitudinal studies
Magnetic resonance imaging
Medical imaging
Meta-analysis
Patients
Plaque
Plaques
Resonance
Sensitivity analysis
Statistical analysis
Stroke
Subgroups
Systematic review
Variables
Veins & arteries
Vessel wall imaging
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:A comprehensive understanding of atherosclerotic middle cerebral artery (MCA) plaques aids physicians in diagnosis and treatment of ischemic stroke. High-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been used to identify imaging biomarkers of symptomatic MCA plaque. We performed this systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate which characteristics of MCA plaque are markers of culprit lesions. The PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library databases were searched for publications up to March 2022. Two independent reviewers extracted data on study design, high-resolution MRI parameters, and imaging end points. Odds ratios (ORs) for the prevalence of stroke with atherosclerotic MCA plaque features were pooled in the meta-analysis by using a random-effects model. Subgroup analysis, sensitivity analysis, and evaluation of publication bias were also conducted. Seventeen articles were included in this review. Symptomatic MCA plaques were significantly associated with contrast enhancement (OR, 9.4; 95 % CI, 4.3–20.4) and T1 hyperintensity (OR, 6.2; 95 % CI, 2.7–14.3). However, there was no association between symptomatic plaques and T2 hyperintensity (OR, 1.4; 95 % CI, 0.8–2.3). Plaque enhancement was significantly associated with downstream ischemic events in subgroup analyses based on different study designs and MR sequence types. Based on current evidence, contrast enhancement and T1 hyperintensity on high-resolution MRI have high potential as imaging biomarkers of patients with MCA plaques at risk of ischemic events. Future prospective, longitudinal studies of intracranial-plaque high-resolution MRI are required to improve decision-making for the management of intracranial atherosclerotic plaques. •Symptomatic MCA plaques were significantly associated with T1 hyperintensity•Plaque enhancement was statistically significantly associated with symptomatic MCA plaques•VWI has become a potential noninvasive vascular imaging tool for the management of intracranial atherosclerotic plaques
ISSN:0899-7071
1873-4499