Atherosclerosis and Dementia A Cross-Sectional Study With Pathological Analysis of the

Background and Purpose—Previous ultrasound-based studies have shown an association between carotid artery atherosclerosis and dementia. Our aim was to investigate this association using postmortem examination. Methods—Postmortem morphometric measurements of carotid stenosis and intima-media thickness were performed in individuals with dementia (n112) and control subjects (n577). Multivariate logistic regression models were applied. Results—High-grade left internal carotid stenosis (70%) was associated with increased odds for dementia (OR, 2.30; 95 % CI, 1.14–4.74; P0.02). Intima-media thickness was not associated with dementia. Conclusions—The likelihood of dementia is increased with high-grade left internal carotid artery atherosclerosis after adjusting for demographic and cardiovascular risk factors. (Stroke. 2011;42:3614-3615.) Key Words: carotid stenosis dementia pathology Previous studies using ultrasound as an assessment methodhave shown an association between carotid artery athero-sclerosis (CAA), including intima-media thickness (IMT), and a higher risk of dementia.1–3 Although ultrasound is a well-established method in routine clinical practice, it is associated with interexaminer variability in IMT and plaque measurements.4 Moreover, specific segments of the carotid artery are difficult to evaluate, particularly the bulb and the internal carotid artery.5 Morphometric evaluation of CAA in autopsy specimens allows evaluation of the limits of the plaque along the entire arterial length and the precise defini-tion of the boundaries of the intima and media layers. We aimed to investigate the association of dementia and CAA measured by morphometric methods in a large autopsy series