High systemic immune-inflammation index is associated with carotid plaque vulnerability: New findings based on carotid ultrasound imaging in patients with acute ischemic stroke

Lianlian Zhang; Qi Lyu; Wenyan Zhou; Xia Li; Qinggan Ni; Shu Jiang; Guofu Shi

doi:10.3389/fneur.2022.959531

High systemic immune-inflammation index is associated with carotid plaque vulnerability: New findings based on carotid ultrasound imaging in patients with acute ischemic stroke

Front Neurol. 2022 Sep 1:13:959531. doi: 10.3389/fneur.2022.959531. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Lianlian Zhang¹, Qi Lyu², Wenyan Zhou¹, Xia Li³, Qinggan Ni⁴, Shu Jiang⁵, Guofu Shi⁶

Affiliations

¹ Department of Ultrasound, The Yancheng Clinical College of Xuzhou Medical University, The First People's Hospital of Yancheng, Yancheng, China.
² Department of Ultrasound, Taizhou People's Hospital, Taizhou, China.
³ Department of General Practice Medicine, The Affiliated Hospital of Jiangsu Medical Vocational College, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University Yancheng Third People's Hospital, Yancheng, China.
⁴ Department of Burn and Plastic Surgery, The Yancheng Clinical College of Xuzhou Medical University, The First People's Hospital of Yancheng, Yancheng, China.
⁵ Department of Radiology, The Yancheng Clinical College of Xuzhou Medical University, The First People's Hospital of Yancheng, Yancheng, China.
⁶ Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, The Affiliated Hospital of Jiangsu Medical Vocational College, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University Yancheng Third People's Hospital, Yancheng, China.

Abstract

Vulnerable carotid plaque is closely related to the occurrence of Ischemic stroke. Therefore, accurate and rapid identification of the nature of carotid plaques is essential. AS is a chronic immune inflammatory process. Systemic immune-inflammation index (SII) is a novel index of immune inflammation obtained from routine whole blood cell count analysis, which comprehensively reflects the state of inflammation and immune balance in the body. This study sought to explore the relationship between SII level and carotid plaque vulnerability, plaque composition characteristics, and acute ischemic stroke (AIS) severity. A total of 131 patients diagnosed with AIS presenting with a carotid atherosclerotic plaque were enrolled in this study. Using carotid ultrasound (CDU) to assess the carotid-responsible plaque properties, we divided the patients into stable plaques group and vulnerable plaques group, and analyzed the correlation between SII levels and plaque vulnerability. And we further analyzed to evaluate the correlation between high SII levels and plaque characteristics and AIS severity. In addition, Cohen's Kappa statistics was used to detect the consistency of Carotid ultrasound (US) and cervical High-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (HRMRI) in evaluating plaque vulnerability. The findings showed that the vulnerable group had higher levels of SII compared with the stable group. The high SII group had more vulnerable plaques and a high frequency of plaque fibrous cap rupture compared with the low SII group. Logistic analysis showed that a high SII level was an independent risk factor for vulnerable plaques (odds ratio [OR] = 2.242) and plaque fibrous cap rupture (OR=3.462). The results also showed a high consistency between Carotid US and HRMRI methods in the assessment of plaque vulnerability [Cohen's kappa value was 0.89 (95% CI = 0.78-0.97)] and the level of SII was positively associated with NIHSS score (r = 0.473, P < 0.001). Our study suggests that elevated levels of SII may have adverse effects on the vulnerability of carotid plaques, especially in stroke patients with vulnerable plaques with ruptured fibrous caps, which may aggravate the severity of AIS.

Keywords: acute ischemic stroke; carotid ultrasound; high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging; systemic immune-inflammation index; vulnerable plaque.