title: Prevalence of severe carotid artery stenosis and its association with echocardiographic parameters in maintenance hemodialysis patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We aimed to determine the prevalence of significant carotid stenosis in maintenance hemodialysis patients and to identify biochemical and echocardiographic predictors of significant carotid stenosis in those patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred and seventeen maintenance hemodialysis patients were included in this study. Echocardiography biochemical tests and carotid artery Doppler ultrasonography were performed in all patients. Data obtained from patients without severe carotid stenosis were compared with those obtained from patients with severe carotid stenosis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean age of the patients was 56.9±12.2 years. Eleven patients had carotid artery stenosis (9.4%). While there was a trend of higher left ventricle end diastolic diameter in severe carotid artery stenosis (p=0.06), no statistically significant biochemical or echocardiographic differences were noted between the patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study demonstrated that the prevalence of carotid artery stenosis is 5-10- fold higher than in the general population. All patients in a chronic hemodialysis program should be screened for carotid artery stenosis for prevention of cerebrovascular diseases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Türkiye Yüksek İhtisas Training and Research Hospital, Ankara. mbalc177@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Mustafa Mücahit
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Balcı
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Türkiye Yüksek İhtisas Training and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Kevser Gülcihan
authors.initials: KG
authors.lastname: Balcı
authors.affiliation: RFM Dialysis Center, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Alper
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kırkpantur
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Numune Training and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Mutlu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gülbay
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Türkiye Yüksek İhtisas Training and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Samet
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yılmaz
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Sakarya University Faculty of Medicine, Sakarya, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ramazan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Akdemir
mesh_terms: D017536:Carotid Artery, Common / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D016893:Carotid Stenosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D017548:Echocardiography, Transesophageal; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007676:Kidney Failure, Chronic / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D006435:Renal Dialysis; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D014421:Turkey / Q000453:epidemiology; D018608:Ultrasonography, Doppler