Cerebrovascular imaging of cerebral ischemia in acute type A aortic dissection

Abstract

Background and purpose: Stanford type A aortic dissection (AAD) sometimes causes acute ischemic stroke (AIS) or transient ischemic attack (TIA). There is little understanding of cerebrovascular imaging of AIS or TIA in patients with AAD.

Methods: Consecutive AIS/TIA patients with AAD who were admitted within 4.5 h of onset were reviewed. We compared findings of MRI/MRA between these and consecutive AIS/TIA patients without AAD within 4.5 h of onset.

Results: Seventeen AAD and 249 non-AAD patients were identified. Compared to non-AAD patients, AAD patients had infarcts more frequently in the right anterior cerebral artery (ACA) territory (18% vs. 2%, P = 0.007) and the right middle cerebral artery (MCA) territory (71% vs. 29%, P < 0.001). There was no difference between the groups regarding whether it was perforator or cortical infarct, single or multiple infarcts, unilateral or bilateral infarcts, or ischemic change extension. On the MRA imaging, the AAD patients more frequently had poor visualization of the right internal carotid artery (ICA) (47% vs. 6%, P < 0.001). After adjustment for sex, age and confounding factors, the right ACA territory infarct [odds ratio (OR), 12.2; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.4-119.4], the MCA territory infarct (OR, 4.9; 95% CI, 1.0-25.0) and poor visualization of the right ICA (OR, 18.1; 95% CI, 4.0-101.9) were independently associated with AAD.

Conclusion: In emergency AIS/TIA patients, right anterior circulation infarct and poor visualization of the right ICA on cerebrovascular imaging are potential imaging markers of AAD.

Keywords: Aortic dissection; Cerebral infarction; Imaging; MRI; Stroke; Thrombolysis.