Correlation between the Volume of MRI Brain Infarct and Inflammatory Markers among Acute Ischemic Stroke Patients

Abstract

Stroke is one of the top five leading causes of death in Malaysia and increases in the mortality rate between 2016 and 2019. There is growing evidence that inflammation plays an important role in acute ischemic stroke. Studies showed that the level of inflammatory markers such as C-reactive protein (CRP) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) are strongly correlated with the volume of brain infarct detected using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). This cross-sectional study conducted in Hospital Pengajar Universiti Putra Malaysia (HPUPM) aims to determine the correlation between the volume of MRI brain infarct with inflammatory markers among patients with acute ischemic stroke in HPUPM. Patients’ sociodemographic information and level of inflammatory markers were extracted from the Hospital Information System (eHIS), the MRI images were accessed through the Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS) whereas the MRI reports for each sample were searched from the Reporting Information System (RIS). In addition, the MRI sequences DWI/ADC and FLAIR axial were selected. The findings of the site and size of brain ischemia were studied. This study was based on 60 data sets of patients diagnosed with acute ischemic stroke in HPUPM. The majority of the patients were male (68.3%), Malay (51.7%) and ranging from age group 61-75 years old. The mean volume of MRI brain infarction was 27.3268±55.6957cm3. A statistically significant association was found between CRP and volume of brain infarction (r=0.297, p<0.05) whereas no association was found between ESR and volume of brain infarction (r=0.192, p>0.05). A significant association was found between CRP and volume of brain infarction. No association was found between ESR and volume of brain infarction.