[Diagnosis of pre-occlusive stenosis of the internal carotid artery by power mode ultrasound].
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the accuracy of power mode (PM) vascular ultrasound in preocclusive (> 90%) stenosis of the extracranial internal carotid artery (ICA) compared to other diagnostic methods and to operative findings.


METHODS
50 patients with preocclusive stenosis have been examined in a prospective study by power mode and color flow duplex ultrasound, by triplane aortic arch and four plane selective DSA. In 11 cases a MR angiography (time-of-flight) was available. Diagnostic findings were compared to operative results.


RESULTS
There was an agreement in findings in 50/50 patients (100%) for selective DSA, in 47/50 (94%) for power mode ultrasound, in 38/50 (76%) for aortic arch DSA, in 31/50 (62%) for color flow duplex ultrasound, and in 5/11 for MR angiography. In contrast to all other methods, ultrasound showed best the true extent of non-calcified atheromatous plaques. In extended vascular calcifications or kinking, however, only parts of the lumen of the vessel could be demonstrated.


CONCLUSIONS
Power mode ultrasound shows preocclusive stenosis of the ICA in a faster and more simple way than color flow duplex ultrasound and has diagnostic results near to those of selective DSA. It improves preoperative diagnostic screening.
Jung
E M
EM
Rontgeninstitut des Klinikums Passau.
Butter
F
F
Rupp
N
N
D001024:Aortic Valve Stenosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D002343:Carotid Artery, Internal / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D016893:Carotid Stenosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D011859:Radiography; D018615:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Color; D018616:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Duplex