(Stroke. 1996;27:1084-1087.)
© 1996 American Heart Association, Inc.
Articles |
Variability of Magnetic Resonance Angiography and Computed Tomography Angiography in Grading Middle Cerebral Artery Stenosis
From the Department of Medicine (K.S.W., R.K.) and the Department of Diagnostic Radiology and Organ Imaging (W.W.M.L., E.L., Y.L.C.), Prince of Wales Hospital, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, and the Department of Neurology (Y.N.H.), Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Beijing, China.
Correspondence to Dr K.S. Wong, Department of Medicine, Prince of Wales Hospital, Shatin, Hong Kong. E-mail ks-wong@cuhk.edu.hk.
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Abstract |
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Background and Purpose Magnetic resonance angiography and computed tomography angiography are new, noninvasive methods to provide images of the cerebral vasculature. The reliability of magnetic resonance angiography and computed tomography angiography when used to grade middle cerebral artery stenosis remains to be established. We sought to study the interobserver and intraobserver variabilities of magnetic resonance angiography and computed tomography angiography in grading middle cerebral artery stenosis.
Methods A total of 50 middle cerebral arteries in 25
patients were studied with magnetic resonance angiography and computed
tomography angiography. All patients had a history of ischemic
stroke. The films were read independently by two observers on separate
occasions. Films were shown again to the same observer 4 weeks after
the first reading. The degree of middle cerebral artery
stenosis was categorized into four grades: normal/mild,
moderate, severe, and occluded. The interobserver and intraobserver
variabilities were calculated by the 
statistic method.
Results Interobserver variability for grading middle
cerebral artery stenosis was good (=0.78) for magnetic
resonance angiography and moderate (=0.51) for computed tomography
angiography. There was perfect agreement between two observers in 86%
of the vessels shown in magnetic resonance angiography and in 76% of
the vessels shown in computed tomography angiography. Intraobserver
variability for both imaging methods was good, with the value in
the range of 0.70 to 0.76.
Conclusions Our results suggest that according to our protocol, magnetic resonance angiography is more reliable than computed tomography angiography in grading middle cerebral artery stenosis.
Key Words: middle cerebral artery • angiography • stenosis • angiography, magnetic resonance • stroke, ischemic
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Introduction |
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TopAbstractIntroductionSubjects and MethodsResultsDiscussionReferences |
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The natural history and prognosis of different grades of carotid stenosis are well documented.1 However, similar data for MCA stenosis are scarce. This disparity can be explained in part by the fact that conventional angiography, which is required for the diagnosis of MCA stenosis, is associated with significant hazards while no specific treatment is available for this condition. However, lack of such background information renders the study of the treatment of MCA stenosis more difficult.
With the recent advances in noninvasive investigation of the intracranial vasculature, it is now possible to study large numbers of patients safely. Imaging methods that are available currently include TCD, MRA, and CTA. To categorize patients with different degrees of stenosis in clinical trials or in cohort studies, a measure should be not only safe but also reliable. We performed a prospective study to compare the interobserver and intraobserver variabilities of MRA and CTA when used to grade MCA stenosis.
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Subjects and Methods |
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We studied consecutive patients who presented to our neurology service with stroke or transient ischemic attack within a 6-month period and who had any evidence or suggestion of intracranial stenosis on TCD examination. For each patient, MRA and CTA were performed within 7 days of the TCD examination. The timing and sequence of examination were variable and depended on the availability of the MR and CT machines.
MRA
All patients were scanned on a Siemens Magnetom Impact IT system
with a head coil. The three-dimensional time-of-flight
images were acquired in the axial plane with a repetition time of 47
ms, echo time of 10 ms, flip angle of 20°, 20-cm field of view,
partition of 64, 192x256 acquisition matrix, and one signal average
for a total imaging time of 9 minutes 40 seconds.
CTA
CTA was performed with a General Electric HiSpeed Advantage
helical scanner. A total of 135 mL iohexol (Omnipaque 300, Nycomed
Imaging) was given by a power injector at the rate of 3 mL/s.
Thirty-five helical scans were undertaken, starting at the floor of
the sella turcica, with 1-mm collimation and 1 mm/s table speed (pitch
of 1:1). The helical scanning was started after a 20-second delay from
the commencement of contrast agent injection. The 35 axial CTA source
images were then transferred to an Advantage Windows workstation
(General Electric Medical Systems) to produce maximum-intensity
projection and shaded surface display images.
The MRA and CTA films were read independently by two observers (W.W.M.L., E.L.) on separate occasions. A moderator was present on each occasion to record the results. All observers were blinded to the medical history of the patients, clinical diagnosis, and results of other investigations. For the testing of intraobserver variability, films were shown to the same observer 4 weeks after the first reading. MCA stenosis was graded according to the following criteria: grade 1, normal or mild stenosis (0% to 29% diameter stenosis); grade 2, moderate stenosis (30% to 69% diameter stenosis); grade 3, severe stenosis (70% to 100% diameter stenosis); and grade 4, occlusion (100% diameter stenosis with rarefaction of the MCA distal to the stenosis).
The percentage of MCA stenosis was measured by visual inspection, according to the principles established by the NASCET study.2
Statistical Analysis
We calculated interobserver and intraobserver variabilities by
the statistic3 using Statistical Package for the
Social Sciences computer software (SPSS for Windows, Version 6.0).
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Results |
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A total of 50 MCAs in 25 patients were studied. There were 15 men and 10 women whose mean age was 57 (range, 29 to 83) years. Seventeen patients (68%) had non–insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus and 13 (52%) had hypertension. All patients had significant hemiparesis that lasted >24 hours. No patient had significant carotid stenosis as shown by Doppler examination.
The interobserver variabilities of CTA and MRA are shown in Tables 1
and 2, respectively. The statistic
was good for MRA (=0.78) and moderate for CTA (=0.51). There was
perfect agreement between the two observers on the grading of
stenosis in 86% of the vessels shown in MRA and in 76% of the
vessels shown in CTA.
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The intraobserver variability of both MRA and CTA was good, with the
value in the range of 0.70 to 0.76 (Tables 3 through 6). Fig 1 shows an example of severe MCA stenosis, and
Fig 2 shows an example of an occluded MCA.
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Discussion |
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Carotid stenosis is the most common lesion found in whites with thromboembolic stroke. However, in blacks, Hispanics, Japanese, and Chinese, intracranial stenosis is more common than extracranial stenosis,4 5 which makes it numerically perhaps the most important cause of stroke worldwide. Yet little is known about the prevalence, natural history, or treatment of this condition. A few studies have been performed on the prognosis of MCA stenosis, but the patients were either few in number6 7 or were subjects in a clinical trial for extracranial/intracranial bypass surgery.8 Before the treatment of MCA stenosis is studied, there is a pressing need to perform a prospective study on a sizable number of patients to document the prevalence, risk factors, and prognosis of this condition. Furthermore, recent evidence suggests that the treatment of patients with intracranial stenosis may differ from that for patients with extracranial stenosis.9 In a retrospective study of 151 patients with intracranial stenosis, the Warfarin-Aspirin Symptomatic Intracranial Disease Study Group9 found a favorable risk/benefit ratio for warfarin compared with aspirin for the prevention of major vascular events.
Despite the success of the NASCET and European Carotid Surgery Trial studies in establishing the efficacy of carotid endarterectomy, the ideal way to measure carotid stenosis in clinical practice remains controversial.10 11 Notwithstanding the unresolved issue of the relative accuracy of each method, the ideal method should be safe and reliable. With mortality and morbidity of conventional angiography in the range of 1% to 4%,12 noninvasive investigations will be more preferable in the study of large numbers of patients. TCD is widely available and is a low-cost method. Unfortunately, TCD cannot be performed in a significant number of patients because of insufficient temporal windows. MRA and CTA are relatively new ways to image the intracranial vasculature. MRA and CTA images can delineate the morphology of MCA and therefore are complementary to TCD, which provides data on cerebral hemodynamics. A number of current studies concern the use of MRA to study intracranial stenosis.13 14 We recently reported our initial experience in the use of CTA in assessment of the MCA in patients with acute ischemic stroke.15
We did not include conventional angiography in the present study because we aimed to measure the variability of MRA and CTA rather than to establish the validity or accuracy of these methods. In the latter case, comparison with a gold standard such as conventional angiography or, preferably, with a pathological specimen will be required.
In the present study, the interobserver variability of MRA
(=0.78) in grading MCA stenosis is similar to that reported
for the assessment of carotid stenosis by duplex
ultrasonography (=0.67).16 The main reason for the
lesser reliability of CTA was poor picture quality in a few cases. We
found that in most CTA pictures, the picture quality was very good. In
some cases, poor picture quality might have been due to the
variable amount of time taken by the intravenous
contrast to reach the circle of Willis or the need for different
dosages of contrast material for different patients. In addition, when
movement artifact occurred, CTA, unlike MR imaging, could not be
repeated immediately because large volumes of contrast injection had to
be given.
The statistic may be different for other pairs of readers,
depending on their background and experience. Both of the readers in
the present study are qualified radiologists. They have read
intracranial MRA regularly for more than a year and have participated
in three research projects that involved the use of CTA of the
intracranial vessels. The statistic method does not differentiate a
minor from a serious disagreement. All disagreements in the case of MRA
were minor, although there were cases of serious disagreement for CTA.
In conclusion, our results suggest that according to our protocol, MRA is more reliable than CTA to grade MCA stenosis. However, it is likely that both imaging methods will improve rapidly in time, and our results may not be generalizable to other institutions with different protocols.
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Selected Abbreviations and Acronyms |
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Received December 4, 1995; accepted February 27, 1996.
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