The associations between blood pressure parameters and intracranial vulnerable plaques have not been fully elucidated. The purpose of this study was to investigate the associations between systemic blood pressure parameters, as well as their variability, and intraplaque hemorrhage (IPH) in stroke patients with intracranial atherosclerosis. We retrospectively analyzed the high-resolution MRI data set of intracranial atherosclerosis from a comprehensive stroke center. The atherosclerotic plaque burden and presence of IPH in each vessel were obtained from vessel wall imaging. Blood pressure parameters in the first week of admission were used. The systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), pulse pressure (PP), and their variability (standard deviation [SD] and coefficient of variation [CV]) were compared between the IPH (+) and IPH (-) groups. Logistic regression analysis was used to demonstrate the correlations between different blood pressure parameters and IPH. The results indicated that SBP and PP were associated with multiple plaques and severe luminal stenosis after adjusting for confounders, with OR = 1.071, 95% CI: (1.044-1.098) and OR = 1.039, 95% CI: (1.019-1.060) for SBP and OR = 1.058, 95% CI: (1.027-1.089) and OR = 1.044, 95% CI: (1.019-1.070) for PP, respectively. SBP was associated with IPH after adjusting for cardiovascular risk factors, with OR = 1.021, 95% CI: (1.003-1.038), but not after correcting for plaque burden, with OR = 1.014, 95% CI: (0.996-1.032). No associations between blood pressure variability and atherosclerotic plaque burden or IPH were detected in this study. In conclusion, SBP is associated with IPH after adjusting for cardiovascular risk factors but not after further correction for atherosclerotic plaque burden. The association between blood pressure variability and intracranial atherosclerosis requires further study.
Keywords: Blood pressure; Intracranial atherosclerosis; Intraplaque hemorrhage; Ischemic stroke.