Journal of neuroimaging : official journal of the American Society of Neuroimaging
-
Intracranial stenosis is a common etiology for ischemic stroke. Due to limitations of imaging studies, there are limited data on the prevalence of symptomatic and asymptomatic intracranial stenosis. Intracranial stenosis is more prevalent in Asian, Hispanic, and African-American populations. ⋯ Angiotensin-converting enzyme polymorphisms, plasma endostatin/vascular endothelial growth factor ratio, glutathione S-transferase omega-1 gene polymorphism, and plasma homocysteine levels are non-modifiable risk factors noted to be associated with intracranial stenosis. Hypertension and serum lipid profile are major modifiable risk factors, whereas sickle cell disease is an uncommon risk factor that can be managed to reduce risk. Associations of intracranial atherosclerosis with diabetes mellitus, metabolic syndrome, Alzheimer's disease, aortic plaques, radiotherapy, and meningitis are less well documented.