Prevalence of carotid artery stenosis in Taiwanese patients with one ischemic stroke.
OBJECTIVE
Ethnic differences in the distribution of atherosclerosis in the brain-supplying vessels are well described. However, only scarce data exist on the prevalence of extracranial carotid artery stenosis in Taiwanese patients who have had a single ischemic stroke.


METHODS
Color-coded duplex sonography was used to evaluate the carotid arteries in a hospital-based study on 276 consecutive first-time Taiwanese stroke patients. Significant atherosclerotic lesions of the internal carotid arteries (ICA) were defined as a stenosis of more than 50% or an occlusion.


RESULTS
The prevalence of significant carotid lesions was 6% (35/552) in the entire cohort and 8% (17/224) in patients with hemispheric strokes. Among patients with large-artery atheroscleroses, according to criteria of the Trial of Org 10172 in Acute Stroke Treatment, only 27% had significant extracranial ICA disease whereas 69% had intracranial vessel stenoses. Older patients tended to have more severe ICA lesions, while other risk factors were not correlated with carotid stenosis.


CONCLUSIONS
The prevalence of more than 50% ICA stenosis was low in Taiwanese patients with first hemispheric ischemic strokes, indicating that it is not a major cause of ischemic stroke in this population.
Tan
Teng-Yeow
TY
First Department of Neurology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, 123, Ta-Pei Road, Niao-Sung Hsiang, Kaohsiung Hsien, Taiwan.
Chang
Ku-Chou
KC
Liou
Chia-Wei
CW
Schminke
Ulf
U
D000368:Aged; D002545:Brain Ischemia; D002343:Carotid Artery, Internal / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology*; D016893:Carotid Stenosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology; D005006:Ethnicity; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020521:Stroke / Q000208:ethnology / Q000209:etiology*; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology; D018615:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Color