BACKGROUND The apparent differences in risk factors for intra- and extracranial atherosclerosis are unclear and the mechanisms that underlie strokes in patients with intracranial atherosclerosis are not well known. We investigated the conventional vascular risk factors as well as other factors in stroke patients with large artery atherosclerosis. METHODS Using diffusion weighted imaging (DWI)...

Hypertension is a major traditional risk factor for atherosclerosis, and carotid artery intima-media thickness (IMT) is considered to be an important marker of atherosclerosis. Sulfatides have been shown to play a role in atherogenesis and vascular inflammation, resulting in atherosclerosis. This study aimed to assess the association between serum sulfatide and carotid artery IMT among hyperten...

Carotid artery is the most important artery that carries the major part of the blood supply to the head and neck. The branching of the common carotid artery usually occurs at the upper edge of the thyroid cartilage. The placement of carotid sinus has also increased its importance in this area. Considering the clinical importance of knowledge about carotid artery variations, this case is reporte...

OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNEA (OSA) HAS BEEN SUGGESTED TO BE ONE OF THE RISK FACTORS FOR STROKE, CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE, AND EARLY MORTALITY.1-6 Patients with OSA frequently have multiple risk factors for cardiovascular disease, such as obesity, insulin resistance, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia. Moreover, the hypoxia, negative intrathoracic pressure, and arousal induced by upper-airway obstruction...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The clinical patterns of stroke and the angiographic distribution of cerebral atherosclerosis in Chinese people are different from those in whites. Studies relating carotid atherosclerosis and vascular risk factors to various types of stroke in Chinese people are lacking. METHODS Based on clinical information, we separated 367 stroke patients living in Taiwan into four ...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE This study examined the hypotheses that (1) atherosclerosis impairs relaxation of the carotid artery in response to activation of adenosine triphosphate (ATP)-sensitive potassium channels and (2) regression of atherosclerosis restores the response toward normal. METHODS Isometric tension was measured in rings of carotid artery taken from normal, atherosclerotic, and reg...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE B-mode ultrasound is a widely used technique for the clinical and epidemiological assessment of carotid atherosclerosis. This article provides a description of the distribution of carotid atherosclerosis in the general population. METHODS Intimal-medial arterial wall thickness was measured by B-mode real-time ultrasound as an index of atherosclerotic involvement in the ...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Carotid atherosclerosis has been associated with increased risk of stroke and poorer cognitive performance in older adults. The relation of carotid atherosclerosis to cognitive impairment and MRI indices of ischemia and aging in midlife is less clear. METHODS We studied 1975 Framingham Offspring Study participants free of stroke and dementia with available carotid ultra...

The main cause of ischemic stroke is the atherosclerotic lesions carotid arteries. Unlike other arteries, arteries have unique anatomical structure and hemodynamic characteristics, which are significantly related to occurrence atherosclerosis.
 Thus, a proper understanding functional anatomy, local hemodynamics their relationship with process can improve quality early diagnosis treatment a...

BACKGROUND The effect of age on common carotid artery diameter is unclear for varying atherosclerosis risk levels. METHODS Cross-sectional data from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Limited Access Data set were used to estimate the association of age with B-mode ultrasound common carotid artery diameter for three atherosclerosis risk levels. Based on information from clinical examinati...