Histological Characteristics of Intracranial Atherosclerosis in a Chinese Population: A Postmortem Study
BackgroundAnterior and posterior circulation atherosclerosis differ in vascular risk factors and stroke mechanisms. However, few studies have compared the pathological features between these lesions. Using a series of intracranial artery specimens, we characterized the intracranial atherosclerotic l...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2017-09-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Neurology |
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| Online Access: | http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fneur.2017.00488/full |
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| author | Wen Jie Yang Mark Fisher Mark Fisher Lu Zheng Chun Bo Niu Annlia Paganini-Hill Hai Lu Zhao Yun Xu Ka Sing Wong Ho Keung Ng Xiang Yan Chen |
| author_facet | Wen Jie Yang Mark Fisher Mark Fisher Lu Zheng Chun Bo Niu Annlia Paganini-Hill Hai Lu Zhao Yun Xu Ka Sing Wong Ho Keung Ng Xiang Yan Chen |
| author_sort | Wen Jie Yang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | BackgroundAnterior and posterior circulation atherosclerosis differ in vascular risk factors and stroke mechanisms. However, few studies have compared the pathological features between these lesions. Using a series of intracranial artery specimens, we characterized the intracranial atherosclerotic lesions and compared pathological features among different arteries of the intracranial vasculature.MethodsIntracranial large arteries of 32 consecutively recruited autopsy cases of Chinese adults aged 45 years or older were examined pathologically using routine histology and immunostaining, to characterize the pathological features of the atherosclerotic lesions. We analyzed middle cerebral arteries (MCAs) (both left and right), vertebral arteries (VAs) (side more affected), and basilar arteries (BAs).ResultsProgressive atherosclerotic lesions were present in 91(71%) of the 128 arteries examined. Features of complicated plaques were infrequently detected: plaque hemorrhage was encountered in 12%, neovasculature in 12%, lumen thrombi in 13%, macrophage infiltration in 20%, and calcification in 25% of arteries. Luminal narrowing of MCA was the most severe, followed by VA; the BA least stenotic (37 ± 25 vs. 30 ± 24 vs. 20 ± 20%, all p < 0.05). MCA had more eccentric (vs. concentric) plaques than VA (69 vs. 25%, p = 0.003) and BA (69 vs. 38%; p = 0.03). Lumen thrombi were more frequent in BA, and calcification most commonly occurred in VA atherosclerotic lesions.ConclusionIntracranial atherosclerotic plaques were commonly present in this sample, but the lesions generally lacked features of complicated plaques. MCA lesions had demonstrable differences compared with VA and BA lesions. Further studies are needed to determine whether these characteristics indicate a distinctive atherosclerotic phenotype for the intracranial vasculature. |
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| spelling | doaj.art-109e2c95700c4636933d4f93dc01ab8d2022-12-21T23:54:48ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Neurology1664-22952017-09-01810.3389/fneur.2017.00488256873Histological Characteristics of Intracranial Atherosclerosis in a Chinese Population: A Postmortem StudyWen Jie Yang0Mark Fisher1Mark Fisher2Lu Zheng3Chun Bo Niu4Annlia Paganini-Hill5Hai Lu Zhao6Yun Xu7Ka Sing Wong8Ho Keung Ng9Xiang Yan Chen10Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong KongDepartment of Neurology, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, United StatesDepartment of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, United StatesDepartment of Medicine and Therapeutics, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong KongDepartment of Pathology, China-Japan Union Hospital Affiliated to Jilin University, Jilin, ChinaDepartment of Neurology, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, United StatesCenter for Diabetic Systems Medicine, Guangxi Key Laboratory of Excellence, Guilin Medical University, Guilin, ChinaDepartment of Neurology, Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, Nanjing, ChinaDepartment of Medicine and Therapeutics, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong KongDepartment of Anatomical and Cellular Pathology, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong KongDepartment of Medicine and Therapeutics, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong KongBackgroundAnterior and posterior circulation atherosclerosis differ in vascular risk factors and stroke mechanisms. However, few studies have compared the pathological features between these lesions. Using a series of intracranial artery specimens, we characterized the intracranial atherosclerotic lesions and compared pathological features among different arteries of the intracranial vasculature.MethodsIntracranial large arteries of 32 consecutively recruited autopsy cases of Chinese adults aged 45 years or older were examined pathologically using routine histology and immunostaining, to characterize the pathological features of the atherosclerotic lesions. We analyzed middle cerebral arteries (MCAs) (both left and right), vertebral arteries (VAs) (side more affected), and basilar arteries (BAs).ResultsProgressive atherosclerotic lesions were present in 91(71%) of the 128 arteries examined. Features of complicated plaques were infrequently detected: plaque hemorrhage was encountered in 12%, neovasculature in 12%, lumen thrombi in 13%, macrophage infiltration in 20%, and calcification in 25% of arteries. Luminal narrowing of MCA was the most severe, followed by VA; the BA least stenotic (37 ± 25 vs. 30 ± 24 vs. 20 ± 20%, all p < 0.05). MCA had more eccentric (vs. concentric) plaques than VA (69 vs. 25%, p = 0.003) and BA (69 vs. 38%; p = 0.03). Lumen thrombi were more frequent in BA, and calcification most commonly occurred in VA atherosclerotic lesions.ConclusionIntracranial atherosclerotic plaques were commonly present in this sample, but the lesions generally lacked features of complicated plaques. MCA lesions had demonstrable differences compared with VA and BA lesions. Further studies are needed to determine whether these characteristics indicate a distinctive atherosclerotic phenotype for the intracranial vasculature.http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fneur.2017.00488/fullintracranial atherosclerosispathologyanterior circulationposterior circulationintraplaque hemorrhagethrombus |
| spellingShingle | Wen Jie Yang Mark Fisher Mark Fisher Lu Zheng Chun Bo Niu Annlia Paganini-Hill Hai Lu Zhao Yun Xu Ka Sing Wong Ho Keung Ng Xiang Yan Chen Histological Characteristics of Intracranial Atherosclerosis in a Chinese Population: A Postmortem Study Frontiers in Neurology intracranial atherosclerosis pathology anterior circulation posterior circulation intraplaque hemorrhage thrombus |
| title | Histological Characteristics of Intracranial Atherosclerosis in a Chinese Population: A Postmortem Study |
| title_full | Histological Characteristics of Intracranial Atherosclerosis in a Chinese Population: A Postmortem Study |
| title_fullStr | Histological Characteristics of Intracranial Atherosclerosis in a Chinese Population: A Postmortem Study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Histological Characteristics of Intracranial Atherosclerosis in a Chinese Population: A Postmortem Study |
| title_short | Histological Characteristics of Intracranial Atherosclerosis in a Chinese Population: A Postmortem Study |
| title_sort | histological characteristics of intracranial atherosclerosis in a chinese population a postmortem study |
| topic | intracranial atherosclerosis pathology anterior circulation posterior circulation intraplaque hemorrhage thrombus |
| url | http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fneur.2017.00488/full |
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