Duplex sonographic criteria for measuring carotid stenoses.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this retrospective study was to determine optimal duplex sonographic criteria for use in our institution for diagnosing severe carotid stenoses and to correlate those findings with angiographic measurements obtained by the European Carotid Surgery Trial (ECST), North American Symptomatic Carotid Endarterectomy Trial (NASCET), and Common Carotid (CC) methods of grading carotid stenoses.


METHODS
We analyzed the angiographic data using the ECST, NASCET, and CC methods and compared the results with the duplex sonographic findings. We then calculated the sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, and accuracy of the duplex sonographic method. Taking these parameters into account, the optimal intrastenotic peak systolic velocity (PSV) and end diastolic velocity (EDV) were derived for diagnosing severe stenoses according to the 3 angiographic methods.


RESULTS
Optimal PSV and EDV values for diagnosing a 70% or greater stenosis in our laboratory were as follows: with the NASCET method of angiographic grading of stenoses, PSV 220 cm/second or greater and EDV 80 cm/second or greater, and with the ECST and CC methods, PSV 190 cm/second or greater, and EDV 65 cm/second or greater. The optimal PSV and EDV for diagnosing a stenosis of 80% or greater with the ECST grading method were 215 cm/second or greater and 90 cm/second or greater, respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
Duplex sonography is a sensitive and accurate tool for evaluating severe carotid stenoses. Optimal PSVs and EDVs vary according to the angiographic method used to grade the stenosis. They are similar for stenoses 70% or greater with the NASCET method and for stenoses 80% or greater with the ECST method.
Department of Neurology, Inselspital, University of Bern, Switzerland.
Ivan N
IN
Staikov
Krassen
K
Nedeltchev
Marcel
M
Arnold
Luca
L
Remonda
Gerhard
G
Schroth
Matthias
M
Sturzenegger
Cornelia
C
Herrmann
Anita
A
Rivoir
Heinrich P
HP
Mattle
D000368:Aged; D015901:Angiography, Digital Subtraction; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity; D002343:Carotid Artery, Internal / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D016893:Carotid Stenosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D018616:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Duplex