Arch Plaques and Risk of Ischemic Stroke

This study is funded by a grant from the National Institute of Health
NIH Grant NINDS: RO1-NS36286-01

Principal Investigator: Marco Di Tullio, MD
E-mail: ditulli@medicine1.cpmc.columbia.edu
Study Coordinator: Inna Titova
E-mail: it46@columbia.edu

Study Design

• Population-based case-control study
• 300 patients with first symptomatic ischemic stroke 60 years of age or older
• 300 community controls matched by age, gender and race/ethnicity
• Cases and controls drawn form the Northern Manhattan Stroke Study (NOMASS) over a 5-yr period

Cardiac Evaluation

• Omniplane transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) with determination of plaque location, thickness and complexity
• Aerated saline IV injection for the detection of intracardiac shunts

Primary Aims

• To determine if aortic arch plaques are a risk factor for ischemic stroke in the elderly
• To determine if the risk of stroke associated with aortic plaques differs among various race-ethnic subgroups
• To determine if aortic arch plaques are associated in elderly stroke patients with hypercoagulability and/or lipid abnormalities

Secondary Aims

• To determine the 4-year stroke recurrence risk in elderly stroke patients with and without aortic arch plaques, in the overall group and by race-ethnicity subgroups
• To evaluate the additional stroke risk associated with specific morphological plaque characteristics (ulceration, mobility)

Hypercoagulation Battery

• Fibrinogen
• Prothrombin Fragment F 1.2
• Lupus Anticoagulant

Lipid Profile

• Total Cholesterol
• Triglycerides
• HDL and LDL Cholesterol
• Lipoprotein )a)
• Apoliporoteins A-I and B

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Please e-mail zqz1@columbia.edu with any general questions.
This Web site is currently maintained by Michael Zhang.
© New York Presbyterian Medical Center, Adult Echocardiography Lab, Columbia University
Last revised 02/29/2008