The aim of this study was to assess extra-and intracranial arterial stenosis in first-ever stroke patients and to analyse the relationship between arterial stenosis and the Oxfordshire Community Stroke Project (OCSP) classification. Chinese patients ( n = 817) were classified according to OCSP criteria, and arterial abnormalities were evaluated in 342 of the patients by digital subtraction angiography. Prevalence of significant stenosis in the extracranial internal carotid artery was highest among total anterior circulation infarct patients and lowest among patients with lacunar infarct. There was no evidence that the frequency of patients with intracranial arterial significant stenosis was different among OCSP subtypes. The results suggest that extracranial internal carotid artery stenosis was significantly related to OCSP subtype and that patients with total anterior circulation infarct were more likely to have extracranial internal carotid artery stenosis than patients having partial anterior circulation infarct, posterior circulation infarct or lacunar infarct.