| Characteristics | NBP group(n = 48) | Placebo group(n = 46) | P values |
|---|
| Age (years) | 56.6 ± 11.5 | 60.6 ± 10.3 | 0.085 |
| Gender (male) | 39 (81.2%) | 32 (69.6%) | 0.188 |
| Hypertention (yes) | 38 (79.2%) | 39 (84.8%) | 0.479 |
| Diabetes mellitus (yes) | 19 (39.6%) | 22 (47.8%) | 0.420 |
| Hyperlipemia (yes) | 37 (77.1%) | 38 (82.6%) | 0.505 |
| Coronary disease (yes) | 8 (16.7%) | 12 (26.1%) | 0.265 |
| Smoking (yes) | 29 (60.4%) | 24 (52.2%) | 0.420 |
| Previous TIA/ ischemic stroke |
| Previous TIA | 8 (16.7%) | 9 (19.6%) | 0.600 |
| Previous ischemic stroke | 24 (50.0%) | 26 (56.5) |
| None | 16 (33.3%) | 11 (23.9%) |
| Methods for assessing stenosis |
| MRA | 35 (72.9%) | 30 (65.2%) | 0.316 |
| CTA | 1 (2.1%) | 0 (0%) |
| DSA | 12 (25.0%) | 16 (34.8%) |
| Unilateral or bilateral |
| Right side | 20 (41.7%) | 22 (47.8%) | 0.526 |
| Left side | 22 (45.8%) | 16 (34.8%) |
| Bilateral | 6 (12.5%) | 8 (17.4%) |
| Stenotic location |
| Extracranial ICA | 10 (20.8%) | 8 (17.4%) | 0.118 |
| Intracranial ICA | 23 (47.9%) | 31 (67.4%) |
| MCA(M1 segment) | 15 (31.2%) | 7 (15.2%) |
| Carotid stenotic degree |
| Severe stenosis(70–99%) | 35 (72.9%) | 40 (87.0%) | 0.090 |
| Occlusion | 13 (27.1%) | 6 (13.0%) |
| Integrity of CoW |
| Integrity | 11 (22.9%) | 17 (37.0%) | 0.137 |
| Un-integrity | 37 (77.1%) | 29 (63.0%) |
| Time of follow-up (months) | 3.7 ± 1.6 | 3.5 ± 0.9 | 0.516 |
| Discontinuation of OMT (yes) | 5 (10.4%) | 3 (6.5%) | 0.759 |
- NBP Dl-3-butylphthalide, TIA transient ischemic attack, MRA magnetic resonance angiography, CTA computed tomography angiography, DSA digital subtraction angiography, ICA internal carotid artery, MCA middle cerebral artery, CoW circle of Willis, OMT optimized medical therapy
