Table 1.
Study Characteristics
| Study Number | Study First Author and Year | Study Design | Major Inclusion Criteria | Country | Total Number of Subjects | Mean Age | Men, no. (% male) | Hypertension (%) | Diabetes Mellitus (%) | Atrial Fibrillation (%) | Coronary Artery Disease (%) | Hyperlipidemia (%) | Smoking History (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | van der Kolk 201114 | Prospective | Patients admitted with ischemic infarct or TIA involving the anterior cerebral circulation; Healthy volunteers were also included | Netherlands | 32 | 59 years (range: 26–83 years) | 18 (51%) | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 2 | Kim 201215 | Retrospective | Patients admitted with infarction involving the MCA territory or TIA due to MCA disease | South Korea | 34 | 64.9 years (SD: ±11.22) | 21 (62%) | 70.60% | 38.00% | N/A | 23.50% | 44.10% | N/A |
| 3 | Skarpathiotakis 201316 | Retrospective | Patients with documented prior ischemic stroke based on DWI and ≥1 intracranial atherosclerotic plaque on MRI | Canada | 29 | 61.2 years (range: 35–84) | 18 (62%) | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 4 | Vakil 201317 | Retrospective | Patients with severe intracranial atherosclerosis causing ≥70% stenosis with detectable atherosclerotic plaque on MRI | United States (Illinois) | 19 | 68.7 years (SD: ±9.6) | 13 (68%) | 89.50% | 47.40% | 0% | N/A | 84.20% | 10.5% (active) |
| 5 | Qiao 201418 | Prospective | Patients with: (1) Intracranial stenosis ≥50% in a large intracranial artery; (2) TIA or stroke in the distribution of the narrowed vessel | United States (Baltimore, MD) | 27 | 56.8 years (SD: ±12.4) | 19 (70%) | 81% | 33% | N/A | N/A | 59% | 15% (active) |
| 6 | Teng 201619 | Prospective | (1) Absence of significant carotid arterial stenosis (<30%); (2) absence of atrial fibrillation; (3) absence of ascending aortic arch atheroma; and (4) ≥1 atherosclerotic risk‐factors | Shanghai, China | 139 | 57.1 years | 90 (64.7%) | 71.20% | 34.50% | N/A | 9.40% | Pre‐admission statin: 32.3% | 29% |
| 7 | Xu 201520 | Prospective | Unilateral MCA stenosis confirmed by MRI; age >50 years; ≥50% MCA stenosis; absence of nonatherosclerotic cerebrovascular disease | Xuzhou, China | 32 | 65.8 years (SD: ±13.3) | 15 (46.9%) | 78.10% | 28.10% | N/A | 37.50% | N/A | 34.40% |
| 8 | Zou 201521 | Prospective | (1) Recent single infarction confirmed by DWI; (2) no ipsilateral MCA stenosis based on MRI; (3) one or more risk factors for atherosclerosis | Beijing, China | 18 | 54.6 years (range: 40–70) | 16 (88.9%) | 66.70% | 22.20% | N/A | N/A | 55.60% | 72.20% |
DWI indicates diffusion‐weighted imaging; MCA, middle cerebral artery; N/A, data not available; MRI, magnetic resonance imaging; TIA, transient ischemic attack.