Longitudinal Imaging of Symptomatic Intracranial Atherosclerosis (LISIA Study)

Goal: To investigate the prediction value of MR plaque imaging for stroke recurrence 

Inclusion Criteria

  1. Ischemic stroke or high-risk TIA (with ABCD score >= 4) that happens within 2 weeks prior to baseline recruitment.
  2. Age ≥30 years.
  3. The event has been adjudicated to be localized to a territory of intracranial circulation.
  4. At least one luminal stenosis in a major intracranial artery (ICA, MCA, ACA, VA, BA, and PCA), as seen on CTA, MRA or DSA, within the corresponding arterial territory.
  5. The presence of 2 or more vascular risk factors (hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes mellitus, obesity, smoking, coronary artery disease, age >50 years for men or 60 years for women).

Exclusion Criteria 

  1. Patients with intracranial endovascular procedure in the past 6 months at baseline recruitment
  2. Patients with chronic large vessel occlusion
  3. Conditions that prohibit MR scanning
  4. Estimated GFR <30 ml/min/1.73 m2
  5. Intracranial endovascular procedure (such as mechanical thrombectomy, stenting, angioplasty, aneurysm coiling or clipping) after the index stroke
  6. The MRA or CTA after the index stroke has shown >50% stenosis of the extracranial artery within the corresponding infarct area
  7. The diagnosis after the index stroke indicates nonatherosclerotic stenosis
  8. The diagnosis after the index stroke indicates a cardiac source of embolism
  9. Comorbid serious, advanced, or terminal illness (investigator judgment) that will limit follow up in 1 year or life expectancy is less than 1 year.
  10. Women who are pregnant, nursing, are implanted with intrauterine devices (IUD’s) that are not MRI compatible will be excluded from the study

Contact information: Melissa Perkins, 213-304-3886