title: [Prevalence of asymptomatic carotid artery stenosis in patients with arteriosclerosis obliterans of lower extremities and risk factor analysis].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the prevalence of asymptomatic carotid artery stenosis in patients with arteriosclerosis obliterans of lower extremities, and evaluate its effect on the treatment strategies for lower extremity artery lesions.
  
  
  METHODS
  Totally 348 patients with arteriosclerosis obliterans of lower extremities who had no cerebrovascular symptoms or events in the past were enrolled from September 2012 to September 2014 in the Department of Vascular Surgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital. Preoperative color doppler ultrasonography results of carotid arteries and demographic characteristics were retrospectively collected. The peak systolic velocity and the presence of plaque on gray-scale in the internal carotid arteries were used for diagnosing and grading internal carotid artery stenosis. A stenosis ≥50% was diagnosed as carotid artery stenosis. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate related risk factors. Treatment strategies for the artery lesions of lower extremities were compared between those with and without asymptomatic carotid artery stenosis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Seventy-seven (22.1%) patients were found to have carotid artery stenosis. Forty-four (12.6%) patients were found to have a stenosis ≥70% or occlusion. Smoking (OR=2.122, 95% CI: 1.143-3.940), coronary artery disease (OR=1.939, 95% CI: 1.058-3.552) and hypertension (OR=1.882, 95% CI: 1.025-3.457) were found to be related risk factors. In patients combined with asymptomatic carotid stenosis, open surgery with general anesthesia was less frequently used than those without asymptomatic carotid stenosis (6.5% vs 18.1%, χ(2)=6.142, P=0.013).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Prevalence of asymptomatic carotid artery stenosis is high in patients with arteriosclerosis obliterans of lower extremities. Smoking, coronary artery disease and hypertension are related risk factors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Vascular Surgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing 100730, China.
authors.forename: X T
authors.initials: XT
authors.lastname: Song
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: C W
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ni
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zeng
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Ye
authors.forename: Y H
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.forename: Y J
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D001162:Arteriosclerosis Obliterans; D002343:Carotid Artery, Internal; D016893:Carotid Stenosis; D003251:Constriction, Pathologic; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension; D035002:Lower Extremity; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D018615:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Color