Angiopathic Impact of Hypertension and Comorbidities in Healthy Individuals Revealed by Signal Intensity Gradient from TOF-MRA

Motivation: Hypertension is a key risk factor, yet its impact on blood flow and wall shear rates (WSR) in intra- and extracranial arteries remains unexamined. Goal(s): This study examines how hypertension relates to WSR in major intra/extracranial arteries. Approach: This retrospective study analyzed TOF-MRA-based SIG(signal intensity gradient) to estimate WSR in major arteries, grouping participants by risk factors: no risk, hypertension only, other risks, and hypertension plus additional risks. Results: In 1,154 subjects, the group of hypertension plus additional risks showed the lowest SIG values in distal ICA, ACA, MCA, PCA, BA, which remained lower after adjusting for confounders, but not in distal ICA. Impact: Functional analysis using SIG, alongside vascular morphological status, may offer valuable insights into the arterial effects of vascular risk factors, particularly within intracranial cerebral arteries.