IMaging Della PLAcca Carotidea

Summary

Background-White matter hyperintensities (WMH), patchy areas of hyperintense signal on T2-weighted or Fluid Attenuated Inversion Recovery sequences on brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), are believed to reflect cerebral burden of ischemic damage and are associated to incident stroke, dementia and eventually mortality in otherwise healthy subjects. Also brain atrophy has been related with presence of carotid atherosclerosis and vascular cognitive impairment. Carotid atherosclerosis may contribute to the genesis of WMH. A recent meta-analysis by our group comprising 5306 subjects was able to demonstrate an association between the presence of carotid atherosclerosis and WMH (odds ratio, OR, 1.42, 95% confidence interval \[CI\] 1.22-1.66). Objective-To evaluate the relation between carotid artery plaque characteristics, cardiovascular risk factors and brain atrophy/WMH burden analyzed quantitatively as number and volume of lesions and as brain volumes, and progression over 18 months of follow up in subjects asymptomatic for cerebrovascular disease with a carotid artery stenosis \<70%.

Timeline

Start

2012-04

Primary completion

2017-10

Completion

2017-10

Publications

• Results Ammirati E, Moroni F, Magnoni M, Rocca MA, Messina R, Anzalone N, De Filippis C, Scotti I, Besana F, Spagnolo P, Rimoldi OE, Chiesa R, Falini A, Filippi M, Camici PG. Relation between characteristics of carotid atherosclerotic plaques and brain white matter hyperintensities in asymptomatic patients. Sci Rep. 2017 Sep 5;7(1):10559. doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-11216-x.
• Results Ammirati E, Moroni F, Magnoni M, Di Terlizzi S, Villa C, Sizzano F, Palini A, Garlaschelli K, Tripiciano F, Scotti I, Catapano AL, Manfredi AA, Norata GD, Camici PG. Circulating CD14+ and CD14highCD16- classical monocytes are reduced in patients with signs of plaque neovascularization in the carotid artery. Atherosclerosis. 2016 Dec;255:171-178. doi: 10.1016/j.atherosclerosis.2016.10.004. Epub 2016 Oct 6.
• Results Ammirati E, Magnoni M, Moroni F, Di Terlizzi S, Scotti I, Villa C, Sizzano F, Impellizzeri M, Fanelli G, Esposito G, Chiesa R, Camici PG. Reduction of Circulating HLA-DR+ T Cell Levels Correlates With Increased Carotid Intraplaque Neovascularization and Atherosclerotic Burden. JACC Cardiovasc Imaging. 2016 Oct;9(10):1231-1233. doi: 10.1016/j.jcmg.2015.10.010. Epub 2016 Jan 6. No abstract available.
• Results Moroni F, Magnoni M, Vergani V, Ammirati E, Camici PG. Fractal analysis of plaque border, a novel method for the quantification of atherosclerotic plaque contour irregularity, is associated with pro-atherogenic plasma lipid profile in subjects with non-obstructive carotid stenoses. PLoS One. 2018 Feb 12;13(2):e0192600. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0192600. eCollection 2018.
• Ammirati E, Moroni F, Magnoni M, Rocca MA, Anzalone N, Cacciaguerra L, Di Terlizzi S, Villa C, Sizzano F, Palini A, Scotti I, Besana F, Spagnolo P, Rimoldi OE, Chiesa R, Falini A, Filippi M, Camici PG. Progression of brain white matter hyperintensities in asymptomatic patients with carotid atherosclerotic plaques and no indication for revascularization. Atherosclerosis. 2019 Aug;287:171-178. doi: 10.1016/j.atherosclerosis.2019.04.230. Epub 2019 May 6.

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