Intracranial stenosis in patients with post-ischemic stroke: a case-control study

Background: Despite its remained position as the main culprit of stroke worldwide, studies on intracranial stenosis in Indonesia are still very limited. It is necessary to research to measure the prevalence and risk factors of intracranial stenosis in post-ischemic stroke. Method: We conducted case-control research with participants of 234 ischemic stroke patients. Each patient was listed for their risk factors and analyzed for their association with intracranial stenosis. Intracranial circulation was determined by transcranial doppler (TCD) sonography TD-DOP 9000 with a 2-MHz probe. A peak systolic velocity (PSV) of >140cm/s or mean systolic velocity of (MSV) >80cm/s were used as criteria for middle cerebral artery (MCA) stenosis. In contrast, PSV>90 cm/s or MSV>60cm/s were used to determine the posterior circulation stenosis. Statistical analysis used SPSS 18.0 software which The Independent t-test and chi-square test were used to assess significant differences in correlation to intracranial stenosis. P-value <0.05 was statistically significant. Result: Intracranial stenosis cases were 38%, with the anterior circulation being the most common stenosis location. Hypertension, diabetes mellitus and dyslipidemia were the most often risk factors. Only hypertension with OR=2.97 (95%CI=1.76-4.98) and diabetes mellitus with OR=1.48 (95%CI=1.12-2.43) were positively correlated with increased risk intracranial stenosis. Conclusion: The occurrence of intracranial stenosis in ischemic stroke patients was high and increased with the presence of hypertension or diabetes mellitus.