Preliminary study on the natural history of cerebral atherosclerosis.

Using the gross dissection and microscopic examination of intracranial arteries of 384 subjects aged 0-70 years from an unselected population sample of Bucharest, the period of life in which the first atherosclerotic plaques and fatty streaks occurred in male and female subjects was delineated. The prevalence (%) of cases with atherosclerotic plaques in successive age groups in also presented. In the anterior cerebral arteries the onset of the first atherosclerotic plaques lag behind the basilar artery by a 10-year period. The male to female ratio of positive cases with atherosclerotic plaques was statistically significant for the basilar artery and non significant for the anterior cerebral arteries. On an age-group basis, the atherosclerotic plaques of the basilar artery were constantly and significantly more obstructive than those of the anterior cerebral arteries.