Asymptomatic Occlusive Lesions of Carotid and Intracranial Arteries in Japanese Patients With Ischemic Heart Disease

Background and Purpose The purpose of this study was to elucidate the prevalence and degree of asymptomatic occlusive lesions in the carotid and intracranial arteries in Japanese patients with ischemic heart disease (IHD). Methods We performed carotid and intracranial MR angiography (MRA) on 67 patients (49 men, 18 women; age range, 40 to 78 years; mean age, 60.1 years) who had received selective coronary angiography for the clinical diagnosis of IHD. On the basis of these images, degree of stenosis in the regions of the bilateral carotid artery bifurcation and five regions of the intracranial arteries, ie, bilateral intracranial portions of the internal carotid arteries and the middle cerebral arteries and the basilar artery were estimated. Results Stenosis of more than 25% narrowing of the diameter of the target arteries was found in 15 patients (22.4%) in the extracranial carotid arteries and in 11 patients (16.4%) in the intracranial arteries. Most of the stenotic lesions were mild. The incidence of e...