Background and aims Intracranial carotid artery calcification (ICAC), as a strong contributor to the occurrence of ischemic stroke, might be present in the medial or intimal arterial layer. Traditional cardiovascular risk factors (CVRFs) are associated with ICAC; however, its association with new markers of vascular function are less understood. The paper aims to evaluate the relationship between carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (CF-PWV) and ICAC subtypes. Methods We enrolled 65 patients with ischemic stroke. CF-PWV, systolic, diastolic, mean blood pressure, and pulse pressure (SBP, DBP, MBP, PP) were measured within 6±2 days after stroke onset, CT was performed within 24 hours. ICAC on the stroke site was classified by two methods: volume- and score-based. Tertiles of ICAC volume were determined, and low-grade ICAC (T1) was regarded as a reference. According to the score-based method, (dominant) medial and (dominant) intimal ICAC subtypes were determined. Data were analysed with multivariate logistic regression. Results Medial and intimal ICAC subtypes were found in 34 (52%) and 24 (37%) patients, respectively. In 11% of patients no ICAC calcifications were found. CF-PWV was higher in patients with high-grade ICAC (OR=1.56, 95%CI=1.03-2.35, p=0.035). CF-PWV was higher in patients with the medial ICAC subtype (OR=1.60, 95%CI=1.00-2.55, p=0.049) after adjustment for traditional CVRFs. Conclusions Our study demonstrates that among patients with ischemic stroke, aortic stiffness is independently associated with ICAC, and that medial ICAC, compared with intimal ICAC, is accompanied by more advanced aortic stiffness.

中文翻译：

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主动脉僵硬度与缺血性中风患者的颅内颈动脉钙化独立相关。

背景和目的颅内颈动脉钙化（ICAC）是缺血性中风发生的重要因素，可能存在于内侧或内膜动脉层。传统心血管危险因素 (CVRF) 与 ICAC 相关；然而，它与新的血管功能标志物的关系尚不清楚。本文旨在评估颈动脉-股动脉脉搏波速度（CF-PWV）与 ICAC 亚型之间的关系。方法 我们纳入了 65 名缺血性中风患者。卒中发生后6±2天内测量CF-PWV、收缩压、舒张压、平均血压和脉压（SBP、DBP、MBP、PP），24小时内进行CT检查。中风部位的 ICAC 通过两种方法进行分类：基于体积和基于评分。确定ICAC体积的三分位数，并以低级ICAC（T1）作为参考。根据基于评分的方法，确定（主要）内侧和（主要）内膜 ICAC 亚型。使用多元逻辑回归分析数据。结果 内侧和内膜 ICAC 亚型分别见于 34 名 (52%) 和 24 名 (37%) 患者。11% 的患者未发现 ICAC 钙化。高级别 ICAC 患者的 CF-PWV 较高（OR=1.56，95%CI=1.03-2.35，p=0.035）。调整传统 CVRF 后，内侧 ICAC 亚型患者的 CF-PWV 较高（OR=1.60，95%CI=1.00-2.55，p=0.049）。结论 我们的研究表明，在缺血性卒中患者中，主动脉僵硬度与 ICAC 独立相关，并且与内膜 ICAC 相比，内侧 ICAC 伴有更严重的主动脉僵硬度。