Intensive Statin Treatment in Acute Ischemic Stroke Patients With INtracranial Atherosclerosis

Purpose: Intracranial atherosclerosis is a common condition in Korean population consisting over 25% of ischemic stroke etiology. American Stroke Association and Korean Stroke Society recommend antiplatelet and statin for the treatment of intracranial atherosclerosis. Besides lowering blood cholesterol levels statin also stabilize atherosclerotic plaque and eventually lower the risk of ischemic stroke. However, little evidence resides on the effect of statin treatment on intracranial atherosclerosis. Recent advance in high-tesla magnetic resonance imaging enables direct imaging of intracranial atherosclerotic plaque and further assessment of treatment efficacy of statin in stabilization of intracranial atherosclerotic plaque became possible.