The relationship between bone health and type of intracranial internal carotid calcifications in patients with ischemic stroke

• Published in: Clinical neurology and neurosurgery 2024-08, Vol.243, p.108360, Article 108360
• Main Authors: Oge, Dogan Dinc, Topcuoglu, Mehmet Akif, Gultekin Zaim, Ozge Berna, Gumeler, Ekim, Arsava, Ethem Murat
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Absorptiometry, Photon; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Algorithms; Angiography; Aorta; Atherosclerosis; Bone density; Bone Density - physiology; Bone Mineral Density; Calcification; Calcification (ectopic); Cardiovascular disease; Carotid arteries; Carotid artery; Carotid Artery Diseases - complications; Carotid Artery Diseases - diagnostic imaging; Carotid Artery, Internal - diagnostic imaging; Computed tomography; Computed Tomography Angiography; Consent; Contrast agents; Coronary vessels; Creatinine; Diabetes; Dual energy X-ray absorptiometry; Female; Femur; Femur Neck - diagnostic imaging; Humans; Hypertension; Internal carotid artery; Intimal calcification; Ischemia; Ischemic stroke; Ischemic Stroke - diagnostic imaging; Magnetic resonance imaging; Male; Medial calcification; Medical imaging; Middle Aged; Older people; Patients; Population; Prospective Studies; Prostheses; Risk factors; Stroke; Tomography; Vascular Calcification - complications; Vascular Calcification - diagnostic imaging; Vein & artery diseases
• ISSN: 0303-8467; 1872-6968; 1872-6968
• DOI: 10.1016/j.clineuro.2024.108360

Vascular calcifications, primarily in the aorta and its proximal branches, are commonly observed among subjects with impaired bone health. In this study, we sought to determine if a comparable association holds true for the calcifications in the intracranial internal carotid arteries (IICA), in general and also for particular calcification patterns. A consecutive series of ischemic stroke patients were prospectively enrolled into the study, where computed tomography angiography source images were used to determine the presence and type of IICA calcifications, and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry was used to determine the bone mineral density in the left femoral neck region. IICA calcifications were categorized as none, intimal, medial, and mixed types based on previously validated classification schemes. Their relationships with femoral bone T-scores were evaluated by bivariate and multivariate analyses. Femoral neck T-score was highest among patients without any vascular calcifications (n=65), when compared to the bone density measures among patients with any type of calcification (n=185) (p