title: Prognosis of symptomatic intracranial obstruction of internal carotid artery.
abstract: 21 patients with intracranial obstruction of an internal carotid artery (ICA) (15 stenoses, 6 occlusions) were studied for angiographic, clinical and prognostic evaluation. Evidence of atheromatous changes and associated risk factors did not significantly differ from age- and sex-matched controls with extracranial ICA disease. No significant difference occurred between matched groups with extra- or intracranial ICA obstruction in functional outcome, delayed strokes, TIAs and death, suggesting that prognosis was more related to age, sex and degree of obstruction than to level of obstruction. 80% intracranial stenosis patients had the worst functional outcome, 30-60% stenosis patients the best, and occlusion patients were intermediate. This corresponded to higher risk of delayed stroke in patients with 80% stenosis. The prognosis was better in patients without evidence of proximal atheromatosis. Only 1 patient with intracranial occlusion suffered delayed homolateral TIAs in which atheromatous embolization from stenosed contralateral ICA was hypothetized.
mesh_terms: D001157:Arterial Occlusive Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D001161:Arteriosclerosis / Q000175:diagnosis; D002340:Carotid Artery Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002341:Carotid Artery Thrombosis / Q000175:diagnosis; D002343:Carotid Artery, Internal; D002533:Cerebral Angiography; D002544:Cerebral Infarction / Q000175:diagnosis; D003251:Constriction, Pathologic; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D002546:Ischemic Attack, Transient / Q000175:diagnosis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis