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. 2015 Aug 3;4(8):e001573. doi: 10.1161/JAHA.114.001573

Table 3.

Data on Silent Cerebral Infarct in Atrial Fibrillation

Author Year Patients Population Design Silent Cerebral Infarcts
Petersen96 1987 58 29 (50%) with AF AF patients matched to non-AF patients, single CT head 48% of AF patients and 28% of non-AF patients (P>0.10)
Kempster97 1988 222 54 (24%) with AF Retrospective analysis of patients with CT head 13% of AF patients and 4% of non-AF patients (P<0.05)
Raiha95 1993 204 30 (15%) with AF CT head scans from a geriatrics clinic 73% of AF patients and 48% of non-AF patients (P =0.0095)
Ezekowitz39 1995 516 516 (100%) with AF Noncontrast CT head done at beginning and end of study 15% of AF patients
de Leeuw94 2000 1077 28 (3%) with AF RR of white matter lesions 2.2 (95% CI 1.0, 5.2)
Gaita73 2013 270 180 (67%) with AF 90 sinus rhythm, 90 paroxysmal AF, and 90 persistent AF 89% of paroxysmal AF, 92% of persistent AF, and 46% sinus rhythm
Stefansdottir41 2013 4251 330 (8%) with AF Single MRI brain 49% of AF patients and 29% of non-AF patients (P<0.001)
Chen43 2014 935 48 (5%) with AF Serial MRI scan at baseline and 9 to 13 years later 33% of AF patients and 17% of non-AF patients

AF indicates atrial fibrillation; CT, computed tomography; MRI, magnetic resonance imaging; RR, relative risk.