Clinical characteristics and imaging findings of patients with low- and high-grade stenotic basilar artery plaque
| All (n = 126) | Low-Grade Stenosis (<50%, n = 46) | High-Grade Stenosis (≥50%, n = 80) | P Value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age (mean) (yr) | 61.5 ± 10.0 | 63.70 ± 9.4 | 60.3 ± 10.1 | .07 |
| Sex (male) (No.) (%) | 82 (65.1%) | 33 (71.7%) | 49 (61.3%) | .23 |
| Diabetes (No.) (%) | 42 (33.3%) | 15 (32.6%) | 27 (33.8%) | .90 |
| Smoking (No.) (%) | 35 (27.8%) | 13 (28.3%) | 22 (27.5%) | .93 |
| Hypertension (No.) (%) | 101 (80.2%) | 37 (80.4%) | 64 (80.0%) | .96 |
| Hyperlipidemia (No.) (%) | 65 (51.6%) | 18 (39.1%) | 47 (58.8%) | .03a |
| Coronary artery disease (No.) (%) | 5 (4.0%) | 3 (6.5%) | 2 (2.5%) | .27 |
| Preadmission aspirin use (No.) (%) | 31 (24.6%) | 9 (19.6%) | 22 (27.5%) | .32 |
| Preadmission statin use (No.) (%) | 17 (13.5%) | 4 (8.7%) | 13 (16.3%) | .23 |
| NIHSS score (median) (range) | 1 (0–11) | 2 (0–11) | 0 (0–6) | <.001a |
| Degree of stenosis (mean) (%) | 52.6 ± 15.8 | 35.2 ± 9.7 | 62.6 ± 7.9 | <.001a |
| Enhancement percentage (mean) | 17.4 ± 28.4 | 21.1 ± 33.1 | 15.3 ± 25.3 | .27 |
| Intraplaque hemorrhage (No.) (%) | 22 (17.5%) | 9 (19.6%) | 13 (16.3%) | .63 |
| Minimum lumen area (mean) (mm2) | 3.2 ± 2.7 | 5.1 ± 3.4 | 2.1 ± 1.3 | <.001a |
| Plaque burden (mean) (%) | 84.0 ± 9.1 | 75.9 ± 8.2 | 88.6 ± 5.7 | <.001a |
| Symptomatic (No.) (%) | 66 (52.4%) | 28 (60.9%) | 38 (47.5%) | .15 |
↵a Statistically significant.