T1 Gadolinium Enhancement of Intracranial Atherosclerotic Plaques Associated with Symptomatic Stenoses

Parmede Vakil¹, Ali Habib, Justin Vranic, Alexander Korutz, Ali Shaibani, Michael C. Hurley, Timothy J. Carroll, Sameer A. Ansari

Intracranial plaque enhancement due to vessel wall inflammation and subsequent contrast uptake can be visualized on T1 weighted MR images. Many studies have linked carotid vessel plaque enhancement with higher incidence of stroke; however little work has examined this relationship within the intracranial vasculature. Patients with severe atherosclerotic disease in the intracranial vasculature who received T1 imaging pre and post contrast injection were identified through a retrospective chart review. Plaques were scored on a 1-5 scale indicating degree of enhancement. We found that enhancing plaques were 86% more likely to be symptomatic.