Abstract W P124: Atherosclerosis Of The Circle Of Willis Is Strongly Associated With Downstream Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy In Parenchymal Arterioles And Capillaries: Possible Mechanism For Atherosclerosis-related Intracranial Hemorrhage

Introduction: Atherosclerosis is highly associated with risk for intracranial hemorrhage. Presumed mechanisms include artery to artery embolization, arteriolar disruption by small vessel atherosclerosis, aberrant angiogenesis in poorly perfused vascular beds, and possible involvement of downstream cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA). Direct associations between atherosclerosis and downstream CAA have been not been supported in most studies, however these results may be confounded by the distinction between highly prevalent meningeal CAA and less frequent parenchymal CAA. Hypothesis: We hypothesized that large vessel intracranial atherosclerosis would be associated with downstream parenchymal, but not meningeal (supplied by extracranial circulation), CAA. Methods: Data were derived from the University of Kentucky brain bank (n=741). Atherosclerosis of the circle of Willis was graded on semiquantitative scale (1=0-25% occlusion; 2=25-50% occlusion; 3=50-75% occlusion; 4=75-100% occlusion). Cases were divided ...