To investigate the relationship between cerebrovascular variation and the occurrence and recurrence of cerebral infarction, and provide a theoretical basis for the precise prevention and treatment of cerebral infarction.

Totally 13 939 patients who underwent magnetic resonance imaging(MRI) and magnetic resonance angiography(MRA) examination at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Shandong First Medical University from January 2020 to December 2021 were grouped according to clinical symptoms combined with the imaging report, including 4 412 cases in the cerebral infarction group and 9 527 cases in the control group.2 048 patients in the cerebral infarction group were eventually enrolled in the study according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, including 1 479 cases of initial cerebral infarction and 569 cases of recurrent cerebral infarction.SPSS 25.0 statistical software was used for data analysis.The χ² test was used to compare the incidence of cerebral infarction with different cerebrovascular variations.Univariate analysis of suspected risk factors for recurrent cerebral infarction was performed with χ² test, nonparametric test and t test.The binary logistic regression was used to analyze independent risk factors of recurrent cerebral infarction.

The incidence of cerebral infarction in the dual-system cerebrovascular variant patients, the single-system cerebrovascular variant patients, and the non-cerebrovascular variant patients were 40.9%, 30.7% and 31.8% respectively.The incidence of cerebral infarction in the dual-system cerebrovascular variant patients was the highest compared with those in the single-system cerebrovascular variant patients and the non-cerebrovascular variant patients (both P<0.05). The incidence rates of embryonic posterior cerebral artery, vertebral artery dominance, and bilateral common origin anterior cerebral arteries were 14.09%, 10.76% and 5.32%, respectively.The incidence of bilateral common origin anterior cerebral arteries in the cerebral infarction group was significantly higher than that in the control group and the difference was statistically significant.Patients with cerebral infarction who were familial aggregation (OR=2.207, 95%CI=1.591-3.062), hyperhomocysteinemia (OR=1.262, 95%CI=1.014-1.570), hypertension (OR=1.461, 95%CI=1.114-1.918), diabetes mellitus (OR=1.348, 95%CI=1.072-1.694), coronary heart disease (OR=1.491, 95%CI=1.196-1.858) were more likely to recurrent cerebral infarction (P<0.05), and patients with cerebral infarction had a significantly increased risk of recurrent cerebral infarction with age (OR=1.031, 95%CI=1.020-1.042, P<0.05).

Dual-system cerebrovascular variation and bilateral common origin anterior cerebral arteries are risk factors for cerebral infarction.

Cerebral infarction; Recurrence; Cerebrovascular variation; Risk factors