Asymptomatic carotid artery bifurcation disease in patients with claudication.
A study was undertaken to determine the prevalence of asymptomatic atherosclerotic carotid artery bifurcation disease in patients presenting with claudication; thus 263 consecutive patients with intermittent claudication, but without recent or old cerebrovascular symptoms were studied by routine carotid duplex scanning. Of the 263 patients, 124 (47.1%) had a C, D, D+ or E lesion in some vessels of the carotid bifurcation and 54 (20.5%) had a D, D+ or E lesion of the common or internal carotid arteries. Women had a higher prevalence of significant carotid stenosis (29.6% v. 18.2% in men) as did patients over the age of 70 years (28.6% v. 16.3% if below 70 years). It is concluded that the prevalence of clinically significant carotid bifurcation disease (greater than 50% stenosis in the common or internal carotid arteries) in patients with claudication is high (20.5%). The presence of an asymptomatic high-grade stenosis (D+ or E) in 11.8% of patients with claudication should alert the clinician that he is treating a patient who is at a high risk of developing cerebrovascular ischaemic complications.
Veller
M
M
Department of Surgery, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg.
Fisher
C
C
Szendro
G
G
Sonecha
T
T
Nicolaides
A
A
D000368:Aged; D001161:Arteriosclerosis / Q000150:complications*; D002340:Carotid Artery Diseases / Q000150:complications*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007383:Intermittent Claudication / Q000150:complications*; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence