After Successful Endarterectomy for Symptomatic Carotid Stenosis, Should Any Contralateral but Asymptomatic Carotid Stenosis Be Operated on as Well?

1997 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 34-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
D.W.J. Dippel ◽  
P.J. Koudstaal ◽  
H. van Urk ◽  
J.D.F. Habbema ◽  
J. van Gijn ◽  
...  
2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (11) ◽  
pp. 2201-2214
Author(s):  
Stephen J Murphy ◽  
Soon T Lim ◽  
Justin A Kinsella ◽  
Sean Tierney ◽  
Bridget Egan ◽  
...  

The relationship between plaque morphology, cerebral micro-embolic signals (MES) and platelet biomarkers in carotid stenosis patients warrants investigation. We combined data from two prospective, observational studies to assess carotid plaque morphology and relationship with cerebral MES and platelet biomarkers in patients with recently symptomatic (≤4 weeks of transient ischaemic attack (TIA)/ischaemic stroke) versus asymptomatic carotid stenosis. Plaque morphology on ultrasound was graded with Grey-Scale Median (GSM) and Gray–Weale (GW) scoring. Bilateral transcranial Doppler ultrasound classified patients as ‘MES+ve’ or ‘MES-ve’. Full blood counts were analysed and flow cytometry quantified CD62P and CD63 expression, leucocyte-platelet complexes and reticulated platelets. Data from 42 recently symptomatic carotid stenosis patients were compared with those from 36 asymptomatic patients. There were no differences in median GSM scores between symptomatic and asymptomatic patients (25 vs. 30; P = 0.31) or between MES+ve vs. MES-ve symptomatic patients (36 vs. 25; P = 0.09). Symptomatic patients with GSM-echodense plaques (GSM ≥25) had higher platelet counts (228 vs. 191 × 109/L), neutrophil–platelet (3.3 vs. 2.7%), monocyte–platelet (6.3 vs. 4.55%) and lymphocyte–platelet complexes (2.91 vs. 2.53%) than ‘ asymptomatic patients with GSM-echodense plaques’ ( P ≤ 0.03). Recently, symptomatic carotid stenosis patients with ‘GSM-echodense plaques’ have enhanced platelet production/secretion/activation compared with their asymptomatic counterparts. Simultaneous assessment with neurovascular imaging and platelet biomarkers may aid risk-stratification in carotid stenosis.


2021 ◽  
Vol 28 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
H Maqsood ◽  
S Younus ◽  
M Saim ◽  
S Qazi ◽  
A Basit ◽  
...  

Abstract Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: None. Introduction Atherosclerotic stenosis of the internal carotid artery is present in 1% to 2% of the adult population and is the cause of  10% to 15% of ischemic strokes. Intra-plaque hemorrhage (IPH) in carotid stenosis increases the risk of cerebrovascular events. Magnetic resonance imaging can be used to detect pathologies like IPH and necrosis in carotid stenosis. Purpose : This study sought to compare the risk of stroke between patients with carotid artery disease with and without the presence of intraplaque hemorrhage (IPH) on magnetic resonance imaging. Methods : In this meta-analysis we gathered the data from 10 original cohort studies including 631 patients with symptomatic carotid stenosis and 157 patients with asymptomatic carotid stenosis. Primary outcome was the hazards of ipsilateral ischemic stroke which were compared between patients with and without IPH. Results : IPH was present in 57.1% of patients with symptomatic carotid stenosis and 24.7% of patients with asymptomatic carotid stenosis. During 1,334 observed person-years, 74 ipsilateral strokes occurred. Presence of IPH at baseline increased the risk of ipsilateral stroke both in symptomatic (hazard ratio [HR]: 11.7; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 4.7 to 22.8) and asymptomatic (HR: 6.8; 95% CI: 0.9 to 45.4) patients. Multivariate analysis identified IPH (HR: 11.7; 95% CI: 5.3 to 26.4) and severe degree of stenosis (HR: 3.8; 95% CI: 02 to 8.2) as independent predictors of ipsilateral stroke. Conclusion : Our study concludes that IPH is common in patients with carotid artery stenosis and is a stronger predictor of stroke. Magnetic resonance imaging is the modality that can help in identification of patients with carotid disease who would benefit from revascularization.


2003 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-37
Author(s):  
G. Lanza

Starting from historical considerations, the evolution of carotid surgery is analyzed from its origin, when indications and methods used to rely on the insights of operators to date when indications, influenced by improvements in diagnostic and therapeutic techniques, must match the evidence coming from controlled trials. Current indications are herein produced for symptomatic carotid stenosis, which are considered standard, for asymptomatic carotid stenosis and endovascular procedures, which have yet to be defined. Also indications for carotid surgery in emergency are provided, a chapter which has recently been rediscovered and proposed with good results.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerrit M. Grosse ◽  
Anselm A. Derda ◽  
Ricarda D. Stauss ◽  
Lavinia Neubert ◽  
Danny D. Jonigk ◽  
...  

Background: Specific microRNAs (miRs) have been implicated in the pathophysiology of atherosclerosis and may represent interesting diagnostic and therapeutic targets in carotid stenosis. We hypothesized that the levels of specific circulating miRs are altered in patients with symptomatic carotid stenosis (sCS) in comparison to those in patients with asymptomatic carotid stenosis (aCS) planned to undergo carotid endarterectomy (CEA). We also studied whether miR levels are associated with plaque vulnerability and stability over time after CEA.Methods: Circulating levels of vascular-enriched miR-92a, miR-126, miR-143, miR-145, miR-155, miR-210, miR-221, miR-222, and miR-342-3p were determined in 21 patients with sCS and 23 patients with aCS before CEA and at a 90-day follow-up. Transcranial Doppler ultrasound for detection of microembolic signals (MES) in the ipsilateral middle cerebral artery was performed prior to CEA. Carotid plaques were histologically analyzed.Results: Mean levels of miRs were not considerably different between groups and were only marginally higher in sCS than aCS concerning miR-92a, miR-210, miR-145, and miR-143 with the best evidence concerning miR-92a. After adjustment for vascular risk factors and statin pre-treatment, the effect sizes remained essentially unchanged. At follow-up, however, these modest differences remained uncorroborated. There were no relevant associations between miR-levels and MES or histological plaque vulnerability features.Conclusions: This study does not provide evidence for strong associations between specific circulating miRs and symptomatic state in a collective of comprehensively characterized patients with carotid stenosis. Further work is needed to elucidate the role of circulating miRs as targets in advanced carotid atherosclerosis.


Stroke ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 46 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Soonwook Kwon ◽  
Mi Ji Lee ◽  
Keon-Ha Kim ◽  
Pyoung Jeon ◽  
Young-wook Kim ◽  
...  

Background: The predictors of symptom development in asymptomatic carotid stenosis are still unclear. We sought to identify factors associated with symptom development in asymptomatic carotid stenosis using multimodal imaging technique. Methods: We retrospectively collected patients who had carotid artery revascularization procedures (carotid endarterectomy [CEA] or carotid artery stenting [CAS]) from April 2007 to May 2013. Patients who had event of cerebral ischemic stroke during 6 months before CEA or CAS were categorized as a symptomatic carotid stenosis. Results from carotid Duplex sonography, CT angiography, brain MRI and MRA, perfusion-weighted MRI (PWI), and demographic profiles were compared. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to identify factors associated with symptom carotid stenosis. Results: A total of 684 patients (asymptomatic 58%, symptomatic 42%) with carotid stenosis more than 50% were included. The presence of ischemic heart diseases, peripheral artery occlusive disease and use of statin were higher in the asymptomatic carotid stenosis. On Duplex scan, ulceration, echolucent plaque, and heterogeneous components of plaque were more frequent in symptomatic carotid stenosis. Angiographic data showed the length of plaque was longer in symptomatic carotid stenosis. Presence of deep white matter hyperintensity, FLAIR vessel sign and GRE vessel sign were more frequently observed in symptomatic carotid stenosis. Patients with symptomatic carotid stenosis had increased cerebral blood flow, cerebral blood volume (CBV), and delayed time to peak when compared to the asymptomatic stenosis. Multivariate analysis revealed length of plaque (>20mm), deep white matter hyperintensity and increased CBV were associated with symptomatic carotid stenosis (Odd ratio [OR]=2.339, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.312-4.169, P=0.004; OR=2.315, 95% CI 1.160-4.619, P=0.017; OR=2.242, 95% CI 1.127-4.463, P=0.021, respectively). Conclusion: Plaque burden, deep white matter hyperintensity, and increased CBV were independent predictors of symptom development in carotid stenosis. Multimodal imaging may be useful to identify high risk patients of ischemic stroke among asymptomatic carotid stenosis.


2003 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-30
Author(s):  
D. Inzitari

Carotid endarterectomy represents one of the main strategies for primary and secondary prevention of atherothrombotic ischemic stroke. ECST and NASCET studies on symptomatic carotid stenosis showed a significantly higher benefit of surgical compared to medical therapy to reduce the risk of ischemic stroke in case of severe stenosis, (over 70% in NASCET study and over 85% in ECST study) with a Number Needed to Treat, NNT, at 2 years of 8. For moderate stenosis (50–69% in the NASCET study) there was a smaller benefit (NNT = 20), while there was no benefit for stenosis < 50%. The ACAS study on asymptomatic carotid stenosis showed a higher benefit of surgical therapy for stenosis over 60% (NNT at 2 years of 67). The application of these results to clinical practice depends on the reproducibility of the same conditions mainly in terms of perioperative risk. Moreover, data on the natural history of asymptomatic carotid stenosis showed that only 50% of the ischemic events at follow-up were related to the stenosis itself. This could indicate that the real benefit of the surgical procedure could be less than that reported by the clinical trials. The plaque composition, to be evaluated by emerging ultrasonographic and magnetic resonance techniques, is assuming increasing relevance as a further criterion to establish the indication for the surgical procedure. At the moment, however, no evidence exists on this matter.


2018 ◽  
Vol 177 (5) ◽  
pp. 17-20
Author(s):  
N. I. Glushkov ◽  
M. A. Ivanov ◽  
A. S. Artemova ◽  
A. Yu. Apresyan ◽  
A. D. Gorovaya ◽  
...  

The objective of the study was to evaluate the results of carotid endarterectomy in patients with symptomatic and asymptomatic course of hemodynamically significant stenosis of carotid arteries.Material and methods. The work was based on observations of 88 patients: the main group included 28 patients with asymptomatic lesion, the control group – 60 patients with symptomatic critical carotid stenosis.Results. There was a predominance of contralateral carotid stenosis, changes in vertebral arteries in the control group. Features of atherosclerotic lesion of carotid arteries associated with the severity of metabolic disorders, perioperative fluctuations of hemodynamics, time of clamping of carotid arteries.Conclusion. Aggressive course of symptomatic carotid stenosis requires correction of metabolic disorders in the perioperative and in the distant periods, as well as monitoring of hemodynamic abnormalities.


Vascular ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 211-221 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew N. Nicolaides ◽  
Stavros K. Kakkos ◽  
Maura Griffin ◽  
Michael Sabetai ◽  
Surinder Dhanjil ◽  
...  

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of image normalization on plaque classification and the risk of ipsilateral ischemic neurologic events in patients with asymptomatic carotid stenosis. The first 1,115 patients recruited to the Asymptomatic Carotid Stenosis and Risk of Stroke (ACSRS) study with a follow-up of 6 to 84 months (mean 37.1 months) were included in this study. Duplex ultrasonography was used for grading the degree of internal carotid artery stenosis and for plaque characterization (types 1–5), which was performed before and after image normalization. One hundred sixteen ipsilateral ischemic hemispheric events occurred. Image normalization resulted in 60% of plaques being reclassified. Before image normalization, a high event rate was associated with all types of plaque. After image normalization, 109 (94%) of the events occurred in patients with plaque types 1 to 3. For patients with European Carotid Stenosis Trial (ECST) 70 to 99% diameter stenosis (equivalent to North American Symptomatic Carotid Endarterectomy Trial [NASCET] 50–99%) with plaque types 1 to 3, the cumulative stroke rate was 14% at 7 years (2% per year), and for patients with plaque types 4 and 5, the cumulative stroke rate was 0.9% at 7 years (0.14% per year). The results suggest that asymptomatic patients with plaque types 4 and 5 classified as such after image normalization are at low risk irrespective of the degree of stenosis.


Stroke ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 46 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tarun Singh ◽  
Christopher L Kramer ◽  
Giuseppe Lanzino ◽  
Alejandro A Rabinstein

Background: Given the uncertainty regarding clinical applicability of early treatment trials and lack of data on long-term disease progression, we evaluated the progression of stenosis and development of symptoms on patients with asymptomatic carotid artery stenosis (ACAS) treated with contemporary medical therapy over a prolonged follow up. Methods: Retrospective review of bilateral carotid arteries from consecutive patients diagnosed with moderate or severe ACAS, at our institution between 2000 and 2001. Patient vascular risk factors and treatments, cerebrovascular imaging, ipsilateral symptoms, and revascularization were recorded. Progression of stenosis was defined by change category of stenosis. Factors associated with symptomatic carotid disease were sought using univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis. Results: We identified 214 patients (58.8% men; median age 70 years) and collected data on 349 vessels. Severe stenosis (>70%) upon diagnosis was present in 92(26.4%) vessels. All patients were on antithrombotics, 97% on antihypertensives, and 95% on statins. Median length of follow up was 13 years (range 5-14) and the mean number of time points with follow-up imaging was 8.1±3.9. Progression of stenosis was observed in 237(67.9%) vessels. 72(20.6%) patients developed symptomatic carotid stenosis (TIA in 14.4%, non-disabling stroke in 4%, and disabling stroke in 2.2%). Median time to appearance of first symptom was 6 years (range 1-13). Revascularization procedures were performed in 118(33.8%) vessels, including 73(61.9%) vessels which had become symptomatic. On multivariate analysis, baseline stenosis (OR 1.65, 95%CI 1.12-2.44), intracranial stenosis > 50% (OR 2.87, 95%CI 1.46-5.62), plaque ulceration (OR 3.41, 95%CI 1.34-8.69), silent infarction (OR 4.25, 95%CI 2.30-7.83), and previous history of TIA/stroke (OR 2.73, 95%CI 1.14-6.54) were associated with development of TIA/stroke ipsilateral to the carotid stenosis. Conclusions: There is a substantial rate of progression of stenosis in patients with asymptomatic carotid atherosclerosis over time despite adequate medical therapy. Over long-term follow up, one in five patients with ACAS developed ipsilateral TIA/stroke.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document