Atherosclerotic arterial wall change of non-stenotic intracracranial arteries on high-resolution MRI at 3.0 T: Correlation with cerebrovascular risk factors and white matter hyperintensity

Highlights • A prospective study for evaluating relationship between cerebrovascular risk factors and intracranial arteries without stenosis was made. • High-resolution MRI at 3.0 T was used to evaluate the intracranial atherosclerosis. • The relationship between atherosclerotic changes, cerebrovascular risk factors, and white matter hyperintensities were evaluated. • Older age and hypertension are significantly associated with intracranial atherosclerosis. • Intracranial atherosclerosis detected on high-resolution MRI may be the strongest risk factor for white matter hyperintensity than any other cerebrovascular risk factors.