Coronary and Basilar Artery Ectasia Are Associated: Results From an Autopsy Case-Control Study.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Intracranial artery dolichoectasia (IADE) and coronary artery ectasia have been associated with stroke and myocardial infarction, respectively. Only rarely have cases of coexisting IADE and coronary artery ectasia been reported. We investigated this association in a large consecutive autopsy series. METHODS Sixteen stroke patients with IADE were identified among 381 stroke patients and were matched with 16 stroke patients without IADE. The heart and coronary arteries from all patients were examined after a prespecified protocol. RESULTS Coronary artery ectasia was observed in 8 of the stroke patients with IADE, and in none of the stroke patients without IADE (P=0.008). The diameters of basilar and right coronary arteries were positively correlated (IADE patients, r=0.51; P=0.003 and coronary artery ectasia patients, P=0.006). CONCLUSIONS This autopsy study examining the association of coronary artery ectasia and IADE in stroke patients suggests a common pathogenesis.