Application of 3.0T high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging for the diagnosis of stenotic vessel wall plaques in the middle cerebral artery: a study on fitness of professional athletes

ABSTRACT

Objective: To investigate the value of 3.0T high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (HR-MRI) in the diagnosis of plaque in the vessel wall of middle cerebral artery stenosis. Methods: 41 patients with middle cerebral artery stenosis admitted from January 2018 to January 2020 were selected for the study, all of whom underwent HR-MRI, and the diagnostic results of digital subtraction angiography (DSA) were used as the gold standard to compare HR-MRI findings in middle cerebral artery stenosis with DSA diagnostic results. The NWI and responsible plaque heights of non-ischemic stroke and ischemic stroke patients at 6 months, 12 months, 18 months and 24 months after discharge were compared. Results: 41 patients were found to have stenosis in 49 middle cerebral arteries by DSA, including 33 cases of unilateral stenosis and 8 cases of bilateral stenosis. The diagnostic accuracy, specificity and sensitivity of HR-MRI in middle cerebral artery stenosis were 93.90% (77/82), 90.91% (30/33), 95.92% (47/49). There was no obvious distinction in NWI and responsible plaque height at 6, 12, 18 and 24 months after discharge in patients with ischemic stroke (P > 0.05). When comparing NWI and responsible plaque height at corresponding time points after discharge in non-ischemic stroke patients, the distinctions were not obvious (P > 0.05). Compared with the group of ischemic stroke, the non-ischemic stroke group NWI was lower at corresponding time points (P < 0.05). No obvious distinctions were found between the group of ischemic stroke and the group of non-ischemic stroke in terms of responsible plaque height at 6, 12, 18 and 24 months after discharge (P > 0.05). (AU)