Balloon angiopLasty for intracranial Atherosclerotic minor Stroke/TIA (BLAST): study protocol for a multicenter prospective cohort study.

Rationale/aim: Intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis (ICAS) is a common cause of stroke in Asia and is significantly associated with stroke recurrence. The Balloon angiopLasty for intracranial Atherosclerotic minor Stroke/TIA (BLAST) study aims to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of early submaximal balloon angioplasty (SBA) combined with standard medical therapy vs. standard medical therapy alone in patients with minor stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) due to ICAS.

The prevalence of intracranial stenosis in patients at low and moderate risk of stroke.

Background: Previous studies assessing the risk of stroke in the general population performed screening with Doppler ultrasonography only for high-risk patients and neglected low- and moderate-risk patients. The aims of this study were to explore the current prevalence of intracranial arterial stenosis (ICAS) and analyze its association with different levels of stroke risk and risk factors based on the risk assessment scale for stroke used in China.

Methods: A total of 3654 participants who underwent transcranial Doppler ultrasound (TCD) were eligible for inclusion.