Table 3.
Baseline profiles, treatment, clinical, and imaging characteristics according to the tertiles of pulse wave velocity values.
| 1st tertile (N = 49) | 2nd tertile (N = 50) | 3rd tertile (N = 47) | P-value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age | 40 ± 10 | 47 ± 8 | 54 ± 10 | <0.001* |
| Sex, male | 36 (73.5%) | 37 (74.0%) | 40 (85.1%) | 0.307 |
| Onset to presentation, d | 2 [0–6.5] | 1.5 [0–6] | 1 [0–2] | 0.007† |
| Presentation pattern | 0.001 | |||
| Ischemic stroke | 32 (65.3%) | 35 (70.0%) | 45 (95.7%) | |
| Headache, others | 17 (34.7%) | 15 (30.0%) | 2 (4.3%) | |
| Onset to PWV | 11 [6–18] | 10 [6–16] | 8 [5–12] | 0.198 |
| Morphology | 0.037 | |||
| Stenosis | 14 (28.6%) | 11 (22.0%) | 12 (25.5%) | |
| Dilatation | 23 (46.9%) | 13 (26.0%) | 12 (25.5%) | |
| Occlusion | 12 (24.5%) | 26 (52.0%) | 23 (48.9%) | |
| Circulation | 0.879 | |||
| Carotid | 16 (32.7%) | 14 (28.0%) | 14 (29.8%) | |
| Vertebro-basilar | 33 (67.3%) | 36 (72.0%) | 33 (70.2%) | |
| Intra vs. extracranial | 0.809 | |||
| Intracranial | 32 (65.3%) | 34 (68.0%) | 29 (61.7%) | |
| Extracranial | 17 (34.7%) | 16 (32.0%) | 18 (38.3%) | |
| HTN | 10 (20.4%) | 19 (38.0%) | 29 (61.7%) | <0.001 |
| DM | 3 (6.1%) | 3 (6.0%) | 6 (12.8%) | 0.387 |
| Smoking | 18 (36.7%) | 22 (44.0%) | 20 (42.6%) | 0.741 |
| Dyslipidemia | 7 (14.3%) | 13 (26.0%) | 13 (27.7%) | 0.228 |
| Treatments | 0.762 | |||
| Medical | 42 (85.7%) | 44 (88.0%) | 42 (89.4%) | |
| Acute intervention | 6 (12.2%) | 5 (10.0%) | 4 (8.5%) | |
| Delayed intervention | 1 (2.0%) | 0 (0.0%) | 0 (0.0%) | |
| Bypass operation | 0 (0.0%) | 1 (2.0%) | 1 (2.1%) | |
| Medications | 0.323 | |||
| None | 3 (6.1%) | 4 (8.0%) | 1 (2.1%) | |
| Antiplatelet | 17 (34.7%) | 13 (26.0%) | 21 (44.7%) | |
| Anticoagulation | 29 (59.2%) | 33 (66.0%) | 25 (53.2%) | |
| Clinical follow-up | (N = 48) | (N = 48) | (N = 47) | |
| 3-month mRS | 1.0 [0.0–1.0] | 1.0 [0.25–2.0] | 1.0 [0.0–2.0] | 0.055 |
| New ischemic stroke | 1 (2.1%) | 0 (0.0%) | 7 (14.9%) | 0.003 |
| New SAH | 0 (0.0%) | 0 (0.0%) | 0 (0.0%) | |
| Image follow-up | (N = 44) | (N = 44) | (N = 41) | |
| Spont. arterial healing | 25 (56.8%) | 28 (63.6%) | 19 (46.3%) | 0.272 |
| Aneurysm enlargement | 4 (9.1%) | 0 (0.0%) | 0 (0.0%) | 0.019 |
| Ischemic course | (N = 32) | (N = 35) | (N = 45) | |
| NIHSS | 2.0 [1.0–4.0] | 3.0 [1.0–5.0] | 3.0 [1.0–5.0] | 0.889 |
| END | 3 (9.4%) | 4 (11.4%) | 6 (13.3%) | 0.866 |
| 3-month mRS | 1.0 [0.0–1.0] | 1.0 [1.0–2.0] | 1.0 [0.0–2.0] | 0.084 |
HTN, hypertension; DM, diabetes mellitus; mRS, modified Rankin Scale; SAH, subarachnoid hemorrhage; NIHSS, National Institute of Health Stroke Scale; END, early neurological deterioration.
*Post hoc Bonferroni test, p < 0.005 for all inter-group comparisons.
†Post hoc Bonferroni test, 1st tertile vs. 3rd tertile, p = 0.005.