Clinical effectiveness of 3.0T high resolution magnetic resonance imaging in the diagnosis and prognostic assessment of intracranial atherosclerotic disease

Purpose: To evaluate the usefulness of 3.0T high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (HR-MRI) in the diagnostic and prognostic assessment of intracranial atherosclerotic diseases. Methods: This retrospective study analyzed the medical data of 100 patients who received intracranial artery 3.0T HR-MRI from November 2020 to November 2021 in Chongqing General Hospital. The patients were divided into ‘symptomatic group’ (n = 60) and ‘asymptomatic group’ (n = 40) based on the occurrence of stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) within 4 months. Results: Patients with stroke or TIA within 4 months had a higher risk of hyperlipidemia than those without (p < 0.05). The area of the outer edge of the vessel at the stenosis and the North American Standard for Symptomatic Carotid Endarterectomy Test (NASCET) index in the symptomatic group were significantly higher than in the asymptomatic group (p < 0.001). The symptomatic group documented a significantly higher frequency of fibrous cap rupture (56.17 %) versus the asymptomatic group (25.0 %) (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Thus, 3.0T HR-MRI presents significant advantages in evaluating the intracranial arterial wall structure, plaque, and fibrous cap status, and hence can be used in combination with 3D-TOF-MRA in the diagnosis of intracranial atherosclerosis. This combined strategy provides a basis for the assessment of a patient's ischemic stroke condition.