Machine Learning-Based Classification of Anterior Circulation Cerebral Infarction Using Computational Fluid Dynamics and CT Perfusion Metrics.

Intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis (ICAS) is a leading cause of ischemic stroke, particularly in the anterior circulation. Understanding the underlying stroke mechanisms is essential for guiding personalized treatment strategies. This study proposes an integrated framework that combines CT perfusion imaging, vascular anatomical features, computational fluid dynamics (CFD), and machine learning to classify stroke mechanisms based on the Chinese Ischemic Stroke Subclassification (CISS) system. A retrospective analysis was conducted on 118 patients with intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis. Key indicators were selected using one-way ANOVA with nested cross-validation and visualized through correlation heatmaps. Optimal thresholds were identified using decision trees. The classification performance of six machine learning models was evaluated using ROC and PR curves. Time to Maximum (Tmax) > 4.0 s, wall shear stress ratio (WSSR), pressure ratio, and percent area stenosis were identified as the most predictive indicators. Thresholds such as Tmax > 4.0 s = 134.0 mL and WSSR = 86.51 effectively distinguished stroke subtypes. The Logistic Regression model demonstrated the best performance (AUC = 0.91, AP = 0.85), followed by Naive Bayes models. This multimodal approach effectively differentiates stroke mechanisms in anterior circulation ICAS and holds promise for supporting more precise diagnosis and personalized treatment in clinical practice.