Carotid dissection with permanent and transient occlusion or severe stenosis: Long-term outcome.
OBJECTIVE
To compare the rate of ischemic events and intracranial hemorrhage in the long-term follow-up of patients with persistent and transient severe stenosis or occlusion of the internal carotid artery (ICA) due to spontaneous dissection (ICAD).


METHODS
One hundred and sixty-one consecutive patients with unilateral ICAD causing severe stenosis or occlusion were examined clinically and by ultrasound 1 year after symptom onset. Forty-six cases with persistent and 46 age- and latency-matched cases with transient (recanalization complete or less than 50% stenosis) severe stenosis or occlusion of the ICA were enrolled. Nine patients with surgical, endovascular, or fibrinolytic therapy for ICAD or associated stroke were excluded. Antithrombotic therapy was given at the discretion of the treating physician. Clinical follow-ups were done annually.


RESULTS
Antithrombotic therapy and follow-up were similar in patients with permanent (6.2 +/- 3.4 years) and transient (7.2 +/- 4.3 years) severe stenosis or occlusion of the ICA. Cases with permanent carotid stenosis or occlusion showed annual rates of 0.7% for ipsilateral carotid territory stroke and of 1.4% for any stroke. Cases with transient carotid stenosis or occlusion showed annual rates of 0.3% for ipsilateral carotid territory stroke and of 0.6% for any stroke.


CONCLUSIONS
This study suggests that ICAD has a benign long-term prognosis with low rates of ipsilateral carotid territory and any stroke and that the stroke rate in ICAD is not related to the persistence of severe carotid stenosis or occlusion. These results question the rationale of surgical or catheter-based revascularization in patients with ICAD.
Kremer
C
C
Department of Neurology, University Hospitals of Zürich (Drs. Kremer, Mosso, Georgiadis, Benninger, Baumgartner, Bern, Switzerland. christine.kremer@nos.usz.ch
Mosso
M
M
Georgiadis
D
D
Stöckli
E
E
Benninger
D
D
Arnold
M
M
Baumgartner
R W
RW
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015901:Angiography, Digital Subtraction; D001921:Brain / Q000098:blood supply / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D002339:Carotid Arteries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D020215:Carotid Artery, Internal, Dissection / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016893:Carotid Stenosis / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015984:Causality; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D005343:Fibrinolytic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D020300:Intracranial Hemorrhages / Q000453:epidemiology; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D020521:Stroke / Q000453:epidemiology*; D013557:Switzerland / Q000453:epidemiology; D013995:Time; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014463:Ultrasonography
D005343:Fibrinolytic Agents