Risk factors for early recurrent cerebral ischemia before treatment of symptomatic carotid stenosis.
OBJECTIVE
In patients with a recently symptomatic carotid stenosis, surgical or interventional treatment is often delayed for weeks to months. Because therapy should be instituted as early as possible in patients at highest risk for recurrent ischemia, the aim of this study was to identify these individuals using clinical data and serial diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI).


METHODS
One hundred thirty-one patients (98 male; mean age 68+/-9 years) who had been referred to our department within 14 days (median; interquartile range, 4 to 36 days) after experiencing an ischemic event caused by a carotid stenosis were followed-up until carotid angioplasty and stenting. Risk factors predicting recurrent transient ischemic attack, stroke, or new DWI lesions were examined.


RESULTS
During a median follow-up period of 7 days (interquartile range, 5 to 13 days) no patient experienced a stroke, 4 patients (3.1%) developed a hemispherical transient ischemic attack, and in 15 patients (12%) new asymptomatic DWI lesions were present in the territory of the treated artery. Multivariable regression analysis revealed that motor symptoms (odds ratio, 5.6; 95% CI, 1.2 to 26.3; P<0.05) or the presence of a contralateral carotid occlusion (odds ratio, 4.6; 95% CI, 1.0 to 20.4; P<0.05) were significant independent predictors of further cerebral ischemic events before carotid angioplasty and stenting.


CONCLUSIONS
In patients with a recently symptomatic carotid stenosis, the risk of early recurrent ischemia is highest in those with motor symptoms and in those with a contralateral carotid occlusion. In these high-risk patients urgent preventive treatment might be warranted.
Kastrup
Andreas
A
Department of Neurology, University of Göttingen, Robert-Koch-Str. 40, 37075 Göttingen, Germany. andreas.kastrup@medizin.uni-goettingen.de
Ernemann
Ulrike
U
Nägele
Thomas
T
Gröschel
Klaus
K
D000368:Aged; D017130:Angioplasty; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D016893:Carotid Stenosis / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012008:Recurrence; D012307:Risk Factors; D015607:Stents; D013997:Time Factors