title: Outcomes associated with carotid pseudo-occlusion.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We tested the hypothesis that patients with carotid pseudo-occlusion (PO) have a different prognosis from those with carotid artery stenosis (CS) without PO.
  
  
  METHODS
  500 patients were examined for CS by cerebral angiography; those with severe CS ≥ 70% (CS group) or with PO (PO group) were enrolled in this study. The primary endpoint was defined as the combined endpoint of the occurrence of stroke, myocardial infarction, or death. Patients without any events were censored at 60 months. We followed patients for the occurrence and date of primary endpoints and compared clinical characteristics and outcomes between the PO group and the CS group.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We enrolled 337 patients (281 men, 56 women, mean age: 70.4 years, mean follow-up period: 32.0 months), of whom 303 (89.9%) were allocated to the CS group while 34 (10.1%) were allocated to the PO group. The rate of diabetes mellitus in the PO group (55.9%) tended to be higher than in the CS group (39.9%). According to Kaplan-Meier analysis, the PO group suffered from the primary outcome more frequently than the CS group. The occurrence of the primary outcome was also associated with older age, peripheral arterial disease and a history of myocardial infarction. Multivariate analysis indicated that patients in the PO group had a significantly poorer outcome compared with those in the CS group (p = 0.013).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients in the PO group more frequently had neurological and cardiac events or died compared with those in the CS group.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cerebrovascular Medicine, Center and Clinical Research Institute, National Hospital Organization Kyushu Medical Center, Fukuoka, Japan. toshi.ogata1@gmail.com
authors.forename: Toshiyasu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ogata
authors.forename: Masahiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yasaka
authors.forename: Yuka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kanazawa
authors.forename: Yoshiyuki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wakugawa
authors.forename: Tooru
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Inoue
authors.forename: Kotaro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yasumori
authors.forename: Takanari
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kitazono
authors.forename: Yasushi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Okada
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality; D002340:Carotid Artery Diseases / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D016893:Carotid Stenosis / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy*; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000453:epidemiology; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D023381:Endpoint Determination; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D058729:Peripheral Arterial Disease / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D012307:Risk Factors; D020521:Stroke / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D016896:Treatment Outcome