Intracranial carotid artery calcification morphology differs in patients with lacunar and non-lacunar acute ischemic strokes

Introduction. This database includes the raw data linked with the paper "Intracranial carotid artery calcification morphology differs in patients with lacunar and non-lacunar acute ischemic strokes".

In this paper, we reported the association of diverse pattern of intracranial carotid artery calcifications (ICAC) and etiologic subtypes of ischemic stroke.

Methods. We retrospectively analyzed a single center cohort of patients admitted for ischemic stroke with known etiology. Patients with a first ischemic stroke with lacunar, cardioembolic or atherothrombotic large artery disease etiology were included. Each carotid artery was evaluated separately on NCCT scans to define the ICAC pattern. The association of ICAC patterns and stroke etiology was investigated using two logistic regression models adjusting for confounders.

Results. A total of 300 patients were included in the analysis, mean age 78 years (+-10), 158 (53%) female, median NIHSS 6 (IQR 9). Prevalence of medial, intimal, and mixed calcification was: 73%, 17% and 11% in cardioembolic stroke, 66%, 25% and 9 % in large artery atherosclerosis stroke and 37%, 44% and 19% in lacunar stroke (p<0.001). After adjustment for confounders, intimal pattern (OR=2.14; 95%CI=1.07-4.30), and medial pattern (OR=0.33; 95CI%=0.16-0.67) remained independently associated with lacunar stroke etiology. In conclusion, our study suggests that intimal ICAC pattern is associated with lacunar stroke, and, if validated in further studies, it may serve as a marker for lacunar stroke etiology.