The Efficacy Of Statins On Basilar Artery Plaques Based On High Resolution Magnetic Resonance Imaging:an Observational Study

Intracranial atherosclerotic disease（ICAD）is a major cause of ischemic stroke worldwide and it gets worse with age.The mortality and recurrence rates of ischemic stroke caused by intracranial atherosclerosis are very high.Therefore intracranial atherosclerotic disease has become a globally recognized public health problem.Early detection of intracranial atherosclerosis and active drug treatment have become increasingly important.Traditional methods of intracranial arteries include angiography（DSA）,vascular ultrasound,magnetic resonance angiography（MRA）and CT angiography（CTA）.These methods can only show the lumen of the artery,but high resolution magnetic resonance（HRMRI）can not only show the clear lumen,but also the wall and plaque components.At present,high resolution magnetic resonance（HRMRI）is widely used in clinical observation of the progression of atherosclerotic plaques by virtue of its non-invasive and high resolution.The paper is divided into two parts,as follows.Part Ⅰ:Characteristics of basilar artery atherosclerotic plaques in pontine infarctions:A high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging studyObjective:To investigate the basilar artery plaque characteristics in patients with acute isolated pontine infarction based on 3.0T high resolution magnetic resonance imaging.Materials and methods:30 patients with acute isolated pontine infarction were enrolled consecutively,and they completed a series of examinations include high resolution magnetic resonance imaging of basilar artery within 14 days.Results:In 16 patients with paramedian pontine infraction,the basilar artery plaque burden was 0.26±0.085,the reconstruction index was 1.097±0.133,and the enhancement rate index was 1.750±0.447.In 14 patients with deep pontine infarction,the basilar artery plaque burden was 0.21±0.055,the reconstruction index was 0.896±0.223,and the enhancement rate index was 1.285±0.611.There were significant differences between paramedian pontine infraction and deep pontine infarction by statistical analysis.Conclusion:The basilar artery plaques of paramedian pontine infraction were dominated by positive remodeling,while the basilar artery plaques of deep pontine infarction were dominated by negative remodeling.The basilar artery plaque area,plaque burden and plaque enhancement ratio of paramedian pontine infraction were larger than that of deep pontine infarction.Part Ⅱ:The effect of statins on the progression of basilar atherosclerotic plaques:A high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging studyObjective:To evaluate the effect of statins on intracranial basilar atherosclerotic plaques based on high resolution magnetic resonance imaging.Materials and methods:This is a single center,prospective,randomized,parallel,and open study and it included 16 patients with basilar stenosis rates of 40%to 99%,who were randomly administered with 10mg/day or 20mg/day rosuvastatin.The basilar artery stenosis,plaque area,remodeling ratio,plaque enhancement index,and intraplaque hemorrhage in the two groups were recorded after 6 months of follow-up.Results:In the general dose group,the basilar artery plaque area was 4.25±17.5mm2,the plaque burden was 0.263±0.77,and the plaque enhancement index was 1.125±0.99.And in the intensive dose group,the basilar artery plaque area was 2.38±5.18mm2,the plaque burden was 0.18±0.462,and the plaque enhancement index was 0.25±0.462.There were significant differences between the intensive dose group and the general dose group by statistical analysis.Conclusion:The intensive dose of rosuvastatin can reduce the plaque area,plaque burden and plaque enhancement index more than the general dose of rosuvastatin.