
Background and Purpose— Deep watershed infarcts are frequent in high-grade carotid disease and are thought to result from hemodynamic impairment, particularly when adopting a rosary-like pattern. However, a role for microembolism has also been suggested, though never directly tested. Here, we studied the relationships among microembolic signals (MES) on transcranial Doppler, rosary-like deep watershed infarcts on brain imaging, and cerebral hemodynamic compromise on positron emission tomography (PET), all in severe symptomatic carotid disease. We hypothesized that rosary-like infarcts would be significantly associated with worse hemodynamic status, independent of the presence of MES. Methods— Sixteen patients with ≥70% carotid disease ipsilateral to recent transient ischemic attack/minor stroke underwent magnetic resonance imaging including diffusion-weighted imaging, 15 O-PET, and transcranial Doppler. Mean transit time, a specific marker for hemodynamic impairment, was obtained in the symptomatic and unaffected hemispheres. Results— Eleven of 16 patients had rosary-like infarcts (Rosary+) and 8 patients had MES. Mean transit time was significantly higher ( P =0.008) in Rosary+ patients than in healthy controls ( n =10), and prevalence of MES was not different between Rosary+ and Rosary− patients. Contrary to our hypothesis, however, the presence of MES within the Rosary+ subset was associated ( P =0.03) with a better hemodynamic status than in their absence, with a significant ( P =0.02) negative correlation between mean transit time and rate of MES/h. Conclusions— Contrary to mainstream understanding, rosary-like infarcts were not independent of presence and rate of MES, suggesting that microembolism plays a role in their pathogenesis, probably in association with hemodynamic impairment. Pending confirmation in a larger sample, these findings have management implications for patients with carotid disease and rosary-like infarcts.
Aged, 80 and over, Male, Ultrasonography, Doppler, Transcranial, Hemodynamics, Cerebral Infarction, Middle Aged, Intracranial Embolism, Positron-Emission Tomography, Humans, Female, Prospective Studies, brain imaging; brain infarction; carotid stenosis; hemodynamics; PET; TCD; watershed infarcts; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Cerebral Infarction; Female; Humans; Intracranial Embolism; Male; Middle Aged; Prospective Studies; Hemodynamics; Positron-Emission Tomography; Ultrasonography, Doppler, Transcranial; Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine; Neurology (clinical); Advanced and Specialized Nursing, Aged
Aged, 80 and over, Male, Ultrasonography, Doppler, Transcranial, Hemodynamics, Cerebral Infarction, Middle Aged, Intracranial Embolism, Positron-Emission Tomography, Humans, Female, Prospective Studies, brain imaging; brain infarction; carotid stenosis; hemodynamics; PET; TCD; watershed infarcts; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Cerebral Infarction; Female; Humans; Intracranial Embolism; Male; Middle Aged; Prospective Studies; Hemodynamics; Positron-Emission Tomography; Ultrasonography, Doppler, Transcranial; Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine; Neurology (clinical); Advanced and Specialized Nursing, Aged
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