title: A model for predicting occult carotid artery stenosis: screening is justified in a selected population.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The diagnosis and treatment of carotid artery disease is an integral part of stroke prevention. However, a population of patients who would benefit from screening for carotid artery stenosis has not been well defined. As part of an institutional stroke-screening program, a modified, rapid duplex scan was developed to evaluate patients for occult carotid stenosis. The goal of this study was to evaluate risk factors predictive of carotid stenosis in a selected population, and to identify patients who would benefit from carotid screening.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients were eligible for the study if they were >60 years of age and had a history of hypertension, heart disease, current smoking, or family history of stroke. A modified carotid duplex scan that had been previously validated against formal duplex scanning was utilized; this involved visualization of the carotid bulb and proximal internal carotid artery where Doppler flow velocities were obtained and recorded.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Screening was performed on 394 patients. Thirty-eight patients (9.6%) had either unilateral or bilateral carotid stenosis of > or =50%. Risk factors evaluated included smoking, hypertension, cardiac disease, or hypercholesterolemia. If none of these risk factors was present, the incidence of carotid stenosis was 1.8%. This increased to 5.8% with one risk factor, 13.5% with two risk factors, and 16.7% with three risk factors. Two of three patients with all four risk factors had carotid stenosis (66.7%). Logistic regression and prespecified contrast statements for multiple comparisons were used to assess the relationship between the presence of risk factors and occult carotid artery stenosis. The presence of any one of these risk factors was associated with a statistically significant increase in the presence of occult carotid stenosis (P <.01). This was also statistically significant for the presence of any two risk factors (P <.01) or three risk factors (P <.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The prevalence of carotid stenosis significantly increases with the presence of one or more identifiable demographic risk factors in a selected population. Assuming the diagnosis and treatment of carotid stenosis are fundamental to stroke prevention, screening for carotid artery disease is justified in this group of patients.
authors.affiliation: Division of Vascular Surgery, New York University Medical Center, 530 First Avenue, Suite 6F, New York, NY 10016, USA. glenn.jacobowitz@msnyuhealth.org
authors.forename: Glenn R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Jacobowitz
authors.forename: Caron B
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Rockman
authors.forename: Paul J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Gagne
authors.forename: Mark A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Adelman
authors.forename: Patrick J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Lamparello
authors.forename: Ronnie
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Landis
authors.forename: Thomas S
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Riles
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D017536:Carotid Artery, Common / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D002343:Carotid Artery, Internal / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D016893:Carotid Stenosis / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D008875:Middle Aged; D015233:Models, Statistical; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012307:Risk Factors; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D020521:Stroke / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D018616:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Duplex