The impact of cerebral vessels morphological alteration and white matter hyperintensities burden on the one-year risk of ischemic stroke recurrence

Abstract Purpose To assess the associations between cerebral vessels morphological features, white matter hyperintensities (WMHs), and the one-year risk of ischemic stroke recurrence. Methods A total of 677 patients diagnosed with acute ischemic stroke from January 2018 to April 2021 were consecutiv...

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Main Authors: Hao Wang, Guoqing Wu, Bei Wang, Ying Liu, Lan Zheng, He Wang, Jing Ding
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2025-05-01
Series:BMC Medical Imaging
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s12880-025-01687-0
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author Hao Wang
Guoqing Wu
Bei Wang
Ying Liu
Lan Zheng
He Wang
Jing Ding
author_facet Hao Wang
Guoqing Wu
Bei Wang
Ying Liu
Lan Zheng
He Wang
Jing Ding
author_sort Hao Wang
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Purpose To assess the associations between cerebral vessels morphological features, white matter hyperintensities (WMHs), and the one-year risk of ischemic stroke recurrence. Methods A total of 677 patients diagnosed with acute ischemic stroke from January 2018 to April 2021 were consecutively enrolled. Head computed tomography angiography (CTA) and magnetic resonance imaging including fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR), were obtained on admission. Cerebral vessels morphological features such as volume, length, radius, density, tortuosity, branch complexity, and degree of stenosis were extracted and calculated using CTA data. Additionally, automated segmentation was employed for delineating WMHs lesions based on FLAIR images. By incorporating clinical characteristics, six predictive models were developed using Cox proportional hazards analysis to estimate the one-year risk of stroke recurrence. The performance of these models was evaluated by comparing the concordance index (C-index). Results The study found significant associations between the lack of antiplatelet therapy at discharge, reduced length and branching of cerebral vessels, and increased burden of WMHs, with a higher one-year risk of recurrent ischemic stroke (all P < 0.05). The integrated model demonstrated superior prognostic capability (C-index: 0.750; 95% CI: 0.684–0.817), outperforming models based solely on clinical characteristics (C-index: 0.636; 95% CI: 0.555–0.717), cerebral vessels morphology (C-index: 0.601; 95% CI: 0.526–0.676), and WMHs burden (C-index: 0.680; 95% CI: 0.603–0.757). Conclusion The quantitative assessment of cerebral vessels morphological features and WMHs provides a promising neuroimaging tool for estimating the one-year risk of ischemic stroke recurrence. The incorporation of cerebral vessels morphological features enhances the predictive accuracy.
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spelling doaj-art-6fbb5188afc242afaa80cf8a408e41bb2025-08-20T03:53:16ZengBMCBMC Medical Imaging1471-23422025-05-0125111310.1186/s12880-025-01687-0The impact of cerebral vessels morphological alteration and white matter hyperintensities burden on the one-year risk of ischemic stroke recurrenceHao Wang0Guoqing Wu1Bei Wang2Ying Liu3Lan Zheng4He Wang5Jing Ding6Department of Neurology, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan UniversityDepartment of Electronic Engineering, Fudan UniversityInstitute of Science and Technology for Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Fudan UniversityDepartment of Neurology, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan UniversityDepartment of Neurology, Minhang Hospital, Fudan UniversityInstitute of Science and Technology for Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Fudan UniversityDepartment of Neurology, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan UniversityAbstract Purpose To assess the associations between cerebral vessels morphological features, white matter hyperintensities (WMHs), and the one-year risk of ischemic stroke recurrence. Methods A total of 677 patients diagnosed with acute ischemic stroke from January 2018 to April 2021 were consecutively enrolled. Head computed tomography angiography (CTA) and magnetic resonance imaging including fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR), were obtained on admission. Cerebral vessels morphological features such as volume, length, radius, density, tortuosity, branch complexity, and degree of stenosis were extracted and calculated using CTA data. Additionally, automated segmentation was employed for delineating WMHs lesions based on FLAIR images. By incorporating clinical characteristics, six predictive models were developed using Cox proportional hazards analysis to estimate the one-year risk of stroke recurrence. The performance of these models was evaluated by comparing the concordance index (C-index). Results The study found significant associations between the lack of antiplatelet therapy at discharge, reduced length and branching of cerebral vessels, and increased burden of WMHs, with a higher one-year risk of recurrent ischemic stroke (all P < 0.05). The integrated model demonstrated superior prognostic capability (C-index: 0.750; 95% CI: 0.684–0.817), outperforming models based solely on clinical characteristics (C-index: 0.636; 95% CI: 0.555–0.717), cerebral vessels morphology (C-index: 0.601; 95% CI: 0.526–0.676), and WMHs burden (C-index: 0.680; 95% CI: 0.603–0.757). Conclusion The quantitative assessment of cerebral vessels morphological features and WMHs provides a promising neuroimaging tool for estimating the one-year risk of ischemic stroke recurrence. The incorporation of cerebral vessels morphological features enhances the predictive accuracy.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12880-025-01687-0Ischemic strokeStroke recurrenceVessels morphological alterationWhite matter hyperintensitiesSecondary prevention
spellingShingle Hao Wang
Guoqing Wu
Bei Wang
Ying Liu
Lan Zheng
He Wang
Jing Ding
The impact of cerebral vessels morphological alteration and white matter hyperintensities burden on the one-year risk of ischemic stroke recurrence
BMC Medical Imaging
Ischemic stroke
Stroke recurrence
Vessels morphological alteration
White matter hyperintensities
Secondary prevention
title The impact of cerebral vessels morphological alteration and white matter hyperintensities burden on the one-year risk of ischemic stroke recurrence
title_full The impact of cerebral vessels morphological alteration and white matter hyperintensities burden on the one-year risk of ischemic stroke recurrence
title_fullStr The impact of cerebral vessels morphological alteration and white matter hyperintensities burden on the one-year risk of ischemic stroke recurrence
title_full_unstemmed The impact of cerebral vessels morphological alteration and white matter hyperintensities burden on the one-year risk of ischemic stroke recurrence
title_short The impact of cerebral vessels morphological alteration and white matter hyperintensities burden on the one-year risk of ischemic stroke recurrence
title_sort impact of cerebral vessels morphological alteration and white matter hyperintensities burden on the one year risk of ischemic stroke recurrence
topic Ischemic stroke
Stroke recurrence
Vessels morphological alteration
White matter hyperintensities
Secondary prevention
url https://doi.org/10.1186/s12880-025-01687-0
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