经颅多普勒超声和颈动脉超声检测无脑缺血症状的2型糖尿病患者颅内外动脉粥样硬化病变

目的 分析无脑缺血症状的2型糖尿病患者颅内动脉粥样硬化性狭窄和颅外颈动脉粥样硬化病变的发生频率及分布特征,并探讨其危险因素.方法 对94例无脑缺血症状的2型糖尿病住院患者用经颅多普勒超声(TCD)和颈动脉超声判断颅内外动脉粥样硬化病变,颅内动脉只分析狭窄,颅外动脉病变包括颈动脉斑块及狭窄.分析各危险因素的影响.结果 55例(58.5%)有颅内外动脉粥样硬化病变.22例(23.4%)发现有颅内动脉狭窄,明显高于颅外颈动脉狭窄或闭塞(3/94,3.2%,χ~2=16.66,P＜0.01).大脑中动脉是颅内最常受累的动脉(狭窄率17.0%),占狭窄动脉数的58.5%.48例(51.0%)有颅外颈动脉粥样斑块或狭窄.Logistic多元回归分析显示糖尿病病程和合并高血压是颅内外动脉粥样硬化病变的独立危险因素.结论 无脑缺血症状的2型糖尿病住院患者,半数以上有颅内外动脉粥样硬化改变,且与糖尿病病程及合并高血压有关,提示对上述高危患者应常规进行超声检测.     

Stroke risk factors and development of collateral flow in carotid occlusive disease

Background and purpose – Blood flow through collateral vessels compensates for reduced blood flow through stenotic or occluded extracranial carotid arteries. Previous studies have shown that extent of collateral flow influences likelihood of stroke and its outcome. Here we analyzed the relationship between stroke risk factors (hypertension, coronary artery disease, diabetes mellitus, tobacco smoking and hypercholesterolemia) and number of patent intracranial collaterals detected by transcranial Doppler ultrasonography. Subjects and methods – We studied 182 patients with various degrees of angiography proven unilateral stenosis of the internal carotid artery. Contribution of the anterior and posterior communicating arteries to the perfusion of the cerebral hemisphere on the side of the stenosis or occlusion was evaluated by a series of compression tests performed during continuous insonation of the middle cerebral artery. The number of detected collateral vessels was correlated with analyzed stroke risk factors. Results – Subjects with stenosis more than 75% or occlusion of the internal carotid artery had a higher frequency of two major intracranial collateral vessels ( P 0.01 and P 0.001, respectively). Hypertensive patients with stenosis more than 75% or total carotid occlusion were more likely to have only a single collateral vessel than patients without hypertension ( P 0.01 and P 0.05, respectively). Other risk factors did not influence the patency of preformed collateral vessels. Conclusions – Hypertension hindered the development of preformed intracranial collateral vessels in our patients with carotid occlusive disease.     

Risk factors for atherosclerosis of cervicocerebral arteries: intracranial versus extracranial

OBJECTIVES: To search for factors determining the site of atherosclerosis of the cervicocerebral arteries in patients from Bangkok (Thailand) with ischemic stroke in the carotid territory. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Patients with the clinical syndrome of stroke or transient ischemic attack in the carotid territory or with ocular stroke were retrospectively studied. They were divided into an intracranial and an extracranial carotid stenosis group based on their vascular imaging. The stroke risk factors were then compared. RESULTS: There were 49 cases with extracranial carotid stenosis and 51 with intracranial stenosis. Among the patients with extracranial stenosis, 98% had associated intracranial disease, whereas none of those with intracranial stenosis had more than 50% of extracranial carotid stenosis. The presence of diabetes mellitus and a history of ischemic heart disease were found to be significantly more prevalent among patients with extracranial internal carotid artery stenosis. CONCLUSION: Diabetes mellitus as well as a history of ischemic heart disease were found to be more significantly prevalent in patients with combined extracranial internal carotid artery and intracranial stenosis. Extracranial carotid stenosis might represent a more severe atherosclerotic process of the cervicocerebral circulation when compared with intracranial stenosis.     

Combined extracranial and intracranial atherosclerosis in Korean patients

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the frequency of intracranial atherosclerosis among patients with steno-occlusive extracranial carotid artery disease and to determine if there are factors related to the combined intracranial atherosclerosis. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: A tertiary referral hospital.Patients We studied 142 consecutive patients who had atherosclerotic steno-occlusive lesions (defined as > or =30% narrowing of the luminal diameter or occlusion) of an extracranial carotid artery confirmed by conventional angiography. We excluded patients who had potential cardiogenic sources of embolism. Potential vascular risk factors for each patient were obtained from medical records.Main Outcome Measure We determined the location and severity of atherosclerotic lesions by conventional angiography. We compared the vascular risk factors between patients with steno-occlusive extracranial carotid artery disease alone and patients with combined intracranial atherosclerosis and extracranial carotid artery disease. RESULTS: Intracranial steno-occlusive lesions (> or =30% stenosis or occlusion) were found in 80 patients (56.3%). Of 121 patients with significant (> or =50% stenosis or occlusion) extracranial carotid artery disease, 58 (47.9%) also had significant lesions of intracranial arteries. Univariate and multivariate analyses showed that diabetes mellitus was the only significant factor associated with combined intracranial atherosclerosis in patients with extracranial carotid artery disease. CONCLUSIONS: Intracranial atherosclerosis is common in Korean patients with steno-occlusive extracranial carotid artery disease. Diabetes mellitus is associated with intracranial atherosclerosis in patients who had steno-occlusive extracranial carotid artery disease.     

Stroke risk of asymptomatic intra- and extracranial large-artery disease in apparently healthy adults

BACKGROUND: The predictive value of asymptomatic intracranial artery stenosis for future stroke remains uncertain. The aim of this study is to assess the stroke risk of asymptomatic intracranial artery stenosis and to compare it with that of extracranial artery disease. METHODS: The study subjects were 2,924 participants (mean age 55 years) without any history of stroke. We examined the relation between intra- or extracranial large-artery disease and subsequent cerebrovascular events (mean follow-up 63 months). RESULTS: The incidence rate of total cerebrovascular events in persons with intracranial artery stenosis was 1.3% per year. In the group without plaque in the extracranial carotid arteries, the annual rate of total cerebrovascular events was only 0.6%, but in the group with plaque, the rate was 3.6%. Kaplan-Meier analysis of total events showed a significant difference between the 2 groups (p = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: The stroke risk in subjects with asymptomatic extracranial artery disease is markedly increased if intracranial artery stenosis is also present.     

症状性颈、椎动脉狭窄的临床诊断与血管内介入治疗

目的探讨颅外段颈、椎动脉狭窄的临床诊断方法,评价颈、椎动脉狭窄血管内介入治疗的临床应用价值。方法对106例颅外段颈动脉和椎动脉狭窄患者的临床表现、颈部血管超声、全脑血管造影和血管内介入治疗等相关资料进行系统回顾。结果(1)颈部血管听诊发现血管杂音95例(89.6%),脑血管疾病危险因素排序依此为高脂血症83例(78.3%)、高血压62例(58.5%)、糖尿病49例(46.2%)、长期饮酒44例(41.5%)、吸烟41例(38.7%)和高尿酸血症23例(21.7%);(2)本组患者DSA发现单纯颅外段颈动脉狭窄40例,单纯椎动脉起始部狭窄30例,颅外段颈动脉和椎动脉狭窄合并存在36例,共检出狭窄血管169条;(3)104例患者血管内成功植入支架123枚,术后即刻DSA显示狭窄程度10%~20%,围手术期严重并发症3例(2.88%),92例患者术后6~12个月随访无短暂性脑缺血发作(TIA)及新发脑梗死。结论血管内介入诊疗技术在症状性颈、椎动脉狭窄的临床诊治中具有重要价值。     

Is Doppler ultrasound sufficient as the sole investigation before carotid endarterectomy?

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Doppler ultrasound (DU) of the extracranial carotid arteries has been advocated as the sole imaging modality in carotid endarterectomy (CE) candidates. However this approach fails to identify patients with potentially significant intracranial disease, at high risk of stroke and death. Therefore, many stroke clinicians recommend angiography after screening DU. We aimed to identify the proportion of cases referred for CE in whom the identification of intracranial disease could have altered management. METHODS: Two neuroradiologists, blinded to the clinical history, reviewed the films of 111 CE candidates, predominantly of Caucasian background, who had undergone carotid angiography after screening DU. Intracranial stenoses >50% luminal diameter, incidental aneurysms and non-atherosclerotic lesions were documented. Demographic and epidemiological data were collected. RESULTS: Of the 111 patients, 87 had >50% extracranial stenoses although two thirds were asymptomatic. Intracranial stenotic lesions were recorded in 29% of patients. Over half of these were tandem lesions, distal to an extracranial stenosis. Aneurysms were found in 4.5% of patients. CONCLUSIONS: DU alone would have failed to detect significant intracranial disease in nearly a third of cases. These patients are at high risk of stroke. The identification of this group allows more aggressive stroke prevention therapy.     

Distribution and correlates of sonographically detected carotid artery disease in the Cardiovascular Health Study. The CHS Collaborative Research Group.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: This article describes the prevalence of extracranial carotid atherosclerosis assessed by ultrasonography, its association with risk factors, and its relation to symptomatic coronary disease and stroke in men and women aged > or = 65 years. METHODS: Maximum percent stenosis, maximum common carotid artery wall thickness, and maximum internal carotid artery wall thickness were assessed using duplex ultrasound in 5,201 men and women aged > or = 65 years in the Cardiovascular Health Study, a study of the risk factors and natural history of cardiovascular disease in the elderly. Existing coronary disease and stroke were assessed by physical examination and participant history. RESULTS: Detectable carotid stenosis was present in 75% of men and 62% of women, although the prevalence of > or = 50% stenosis was low, 7% in men and 5% in women. Maximum stenosis and maximum wall thickness measurements increased with age and were uniformly greater at all ages in men than in women (p < 0.00001). Established risk factors for atherosclerosis (hypertension, smoking, diabetes) and indications of vascular disease (left ventricular hypertrophy, major electrocardiographic abnormality, bruits, and history of heart disease or stroke) related to all three carotid artery measures in the elderly. Of the three ultrasound measures, the best correlate for a history of coronary disease was maximum internal carotid artery wall thickness. For stroke the best correlate was common carotid artery wall thickness. Multiple logistic regression models of prevalent coronary heart disease and stroke that included the ultrasound findings indicated, after adjustment for age and sex, that maximum internal wall thickness and maximum common carotid wall thickness were significant correlates of both. Maximum stenosis did not add significantly to the correlation. CONCLUSIONS: In the elderly the incidence of carotid atherosclerosis was high, although the frequency of severe disease was low. The prevalence and severity of carotid atherosclerosis continued to increase with age even in the late decades of life, and more disease was found in men than in women at all ages. Known risk factors for atherosclerosis continued to relate to carotid abnormalities in the later decades of life, both in symptomatic and asymptomatic subjects.     

Duplex Doppler and spectral flow analysis of racial differences in cerebrovascular atherosclerosis

We compared carotid artery disease in 99 black and 106 white patients using duplex ultrasonography (B-mode imaging and Doppler spectral analysis). Blacks had significantly less stenosis of the extracranial internal carotid artery than whites. Among the risk factors investigated, hypertension alone, ischemic heart disease, diabetes mellitus, and smoking failed to explain the racial difference. Although carotid stenosis of greater than or equal to 40% correlated significantly with age in both races (p = 0.001 in whites and p = 0.005 in blacks), blacks had significantly less carotid stenosis of any degree even when age was taken into account. Multivariate analysis showed that race is a significant and independent risk factor for carotid stenosis (p less than 0.0001). Hypertension interacting with race was also significant. Our results require verification in population-based studies. Carotid duplex ultrasonography offers a noninvasive method for carrying out such studies.     

A High Prevalence of Intracranial Stenosis in Patients with Coronary Artery Disease and the Diagnostic Value of Transcranial Duplex Sonography

Background: According to the data from the population-based Rotterdam study, intracranial carotid artery calcification detected by computed tomography is very common and contributed to 75% of all strokes. The aim of the present study was to estimate the prevalence of intracranial stenosis (IS) using noninvasive transcranial color-coded duplex sonography (TCCS) in neurologically asymptomatic patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). Methods: Three hundred and eighty-nine patients with angiographically-confirmed, severe CAD were included prospectively. All of them were examined using extracranial and TCCS. Results: Out of 389 patients (age 66.7 ± 9.2, 39-88), 237 (61%) were diagnosed with 3 vessels disease and 152 patients (39%) with left stem disease with/without 3 vessels damage. Transcranial sonography revealed at least 1 IS in 63.6% of echo positive patients (220/346). IS was found in 127 (61.4%) patients with 3 vessels disease, 20 patients (58.8%) with isolated left stem disease, and 73 patients (69.5%) with 3 vessels and left stem disease (P?=?.305). In the case of significant (≥50%) extracranial internal carotid artery stenosis, intracranial stenosis were detected in 84.8% (50 of 59), in the case of mild (<50%) stenosis, in 59.2% (170 of 287), P < .001. Conclusions: It was found that two thirds of patients with advanced CAD have a silent IS. TCCS is a reliable method for the evaluation of intracranial atherosclerosis in such patients in order to gain useful information about cerebrovascular disease as a risk factor for stroke.     

脑梗死患者颈动脉颅外段狭窄危险因素分析

目的:探讨脑梗死患者颈动脉颅外段狭窄的相关危险因素,为脑梗死发病机制、临床诊断、治疗和预防提供重要依据。方法:应用HDI-5000彩色多普勒超声仪对脑梗死患者的颈动脉颅外段进行检测,观察血管解剖形态,内膜情况,有无斑块形成及斑块大小,管腔是否狭窄和狭窄程度。按颈动脉超声检测结果将脑梗死患者分为狭窄组和非狭窄组,进行相关危险因素分析。结果:年龄、男性、糖尿病、高血压、高TG、高apoB和高Fib与脑梗死患者颈动脉颅外段狭窄呈正相关,高HDL-C与脑梗死患者颈动脉颅外段狭窄呈负相关。结论:脑梗死患者颈动脉颅外段狭窄的危险因素有年龄、性别、糖尿病、高血压病、高TG、高APOB和高Fib,保护因素有高HDL-C。     

Prevalence and prognostic impact of microembolic signals in arterial sources of embolism

OBJECTIVE: To compile available studies using microembolic signal (MES) detection by transcranial Doppler sonography in varying sources of arterial brain embolism. We investigated prevalences of MES and whether MES detection is of proven use for risk stratification. METHOD: Studies reporting prevalences of MES and the risk of cerebral ischemic events were pooled for patients with symptomatic or asymptomatic carotid stenosis, intracranial artery stenosis, cervical artery dissection, and aortic embolism. RESULTS: MES were reported in 43% of 586 patients with symptomatic and in 10% of 1066 patients with asymptomatic carotid stenosis. Presence of one MES indicated an increased risk of future events [odds ratio (OR): 7.5, 95% confidence interval (CI): 3.6-15.4, p<0.0001 for symptomatic, and OR: 13.4, 95% CI: 6.5-27.4, p<0.0001 for asymptomatic disease). MES were reported in 25% of 220 patients with symptomatic vs. 0% of 86 patients with asymptomatic intracranial stenosis (p<0.0001), Of 82 patients with cervical artery dissection presenting with TIA or stroke, 50% had MES compared with 13% of 16 patients with local symptoms (p=0.006), In patients with aortic embolism, patients with plaques >or= 4 mm more frequently had MES compared with patients with smaller plaques (p=0.04), Data were insufficient to reliably predict future events in patients with intracranial stenosis, cervical artery dissection, and aortic embolism. CONCLUSION: MES are a frequent finding in varying sources of arterial brain embolism, MES detection is useful for risk stratification in patients with carotid stenosis.     

Transcranial Doppler waveform blunting in severe extracranial carotid artery stenosis

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the frequency of transcranial Doppler (TCD) waveform blunting in patients with severe (80-99%) symptomatic or asymptomatic extracranial carotid artery stenosis. BACKGROUND: Severe carotid artery stenosis has been identified as a risk factor for ischemic stroke. Blunted Doppler flow waveforms (reduced systolic flow velocity and pulsatility) of the middle cerebral artery (MCA) are inferred to reflect hemodynamic impairment, possibly indicating an increased risk of stroke. METHODS: The 114 consecutive patients (mean age 72.4 years, SD 9.0 years; 37% women; 46 clinically symptomatic, 68 asymptomatic) with 80-99% stenosis of the extracranial internal carotid artery (ICA), as determined by duplex sonography, were examined with TCD. Flow velocities, pulsatility index, and spectral waveforms of the MCA distal to the ICA stenosis were assessed blinded to the clinical status of the ICA: Doppler waveform blunting was defined as loss of the characteristic systolic peak. Odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals and chi(2) statistics were used to describe the association between waveform blunting and the symptomatic status of the ICA stenosis. RESULTS: Among symptomatic patients, 23 (50%) had completed strokes, and a further 23 (50%) had transient neurologic deficits in the territory of the stenotic ICA. Blunted spectral waveform was found in 37 (80%, 95% CI 68-92%) of the symptomatic and 25 (37%; 95% CI 25-49%) of the asymptomatic patients. Symptomatic patients had significantly increased odds of having blunted TCD waveforms (OR 7.5, 95% CI 3.1-18.1, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that TCD waveform blunting in the MCA as here described may be an additional risk factor in the setting of severe extracranial carotid artery stenosis. A prospectively designed study to confirm our results seems warranted.     

短暂性脑缺血发作DSA 32例临床报告

目的:应用脑血管造影技术(DSA)对短暂性脑缺血发作(Transient ischemic attack,TIA)进行病因研究。方法:选择住院的TIA患者32例进行脑血管造影,12例进行了溶栓治疗,30例病人行颈动脉超声,观察TIA患者DSA结果,并与颈动脉超声结果比较。结果:1.TIA患者DSA显示颅内、外动脉异常,总异常率为93%(30/32);2.DSA显示颈内动脉颅外段异常78.1%(25/32),与颈动脉超声结果86.7%(28/30)较一致。结论:颅内外血管狭窄或闭塞可能是TIA的主要原因,对于TIA患者及早行DSA和颈动脉超声,进一步行介入及溶栓治疗,从而避免或减少脑血栓的发生。     

缺血性脑卒中患者动脉粥样硬化分布的临床研究

目的探讨急性缺血性脑卒中不同亚型与颈动脉粥样硬化分布的相关性。方法通过经颅多普勒超声(TCD)和颈动脉彩色多普勒血流成像(CDFI)方法检测颅内、外动脉粥样硬化程度,并结合病史、生化指标及影像学提示的病变部位进行综合分析。结果411例急性缺血性脑卒中患者,颅内动脉狭窄率为38.93%(160/411),颈动脉颅外段狭窄率24.09%(99/411)。颈动脉颅外段狭窄者年龄大、吸烟比例高,与无狭窄者比较差异有统计学意义(P=0.020,0.013);而颅内动脉狭窄者糖尿病发病率明显高于无狭窄者(P=0.005)。411例中皮质梗死49例、皮质下梗死108例、腔隙性梗死72例和短暂性脑缺血发作30例,颈动脉颅外段狭窄者以皮质梗死为主(P=0.001),并且动脉内-中膜层厚度明显增加(P=0.020);而颅内动脉狭窄者以腔隙性梗死更多见(P=0.016)。颅内、外动脉狭窄者的年龄、性别、血糖及血脂之间差异无统计学意义(均P>0.05)。结论临床和影像学检查所确定的急性缺血性脑卒中亚型与颅内、外动脉粥样硬化的病变部位相关,提示发病的原因可能不同。糖尿病与吸烟是引起颅内、外动脉病变的重要原因。     

MR angiographic evaluation of carotid and intracranial arteries in Japanese patients scheduled for coronary artery bypass grafting

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Stroke is a serious complication of coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Preoperative evaluation of the cerebral arteries to identify patients at increased risk of stroke after CABG is important. In a prospective study, we evaluated cerebral artery occlusive lesions with MR angiography in Japanese patients scheduled to undergo CABG to determine the prevalence of occlusive diseases in the extracranial carotid and intracranial arteries in this population and to identify preoperative risk factors for these patients. METHODS: The subjects were 151 consecutive patients (115 men and 36 women ranging in age from 41 to 82 years) who were scheduled for CABG under nonemergency conditions between October 1995 and February 1998. Carotid and intracranial arteries were examined for occlusive lesions with MR angiography. Patient demographics and risk factors including age, sex, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia, smoking habit, history of stroke, peripheral vascular disease and preoperative thromboembolic infarcts revealed by MR imaging were recorded and analyzed. RESULTS: Cervical carotid artery stenoses of more than 50% narrowing were detected in 16.6% of the subjects, and intracranial artery stenoses of more than 50% narrowing were detected in 21.2% of the subjects. Multiple logistic regression analyses identified peripheral vascular disease and lacunar infarcts in the basal ganglia as significant and independent predictors of cervical carotid arterial stenoses. No significant predictor for intracranial arterial stenoses was identified. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of extracranial carotid and intracranial artery stenosis in Japanese patients scheduled for CABG is considerably high. MR angiography is of value of identifying these patients. Preoperative evaluation of cranial arteries is recommended, particularly in patients with peripheral vascular disease and infarcts in the basal ganglia.     

Racial differences in ischemic cerebrovascular disease: Clinical and magnetic resonance angiographic correlations of white and asian patients.

Objectives. We explored racial differences in ischemic cerebrovascular disease. Methods. Clinical and magnetic resonance angiographic (MRA) features were compared in 21 white and 21 Asian patients with symptomatic ischemic cerebrovascular disease. Results. When all carotid artery sites were combined and compared, whites had more stenotic lesions of internal carotid artery origin, and Asians had more stenotic lesions of the middle cerebral artery (MCA) stem. In the vertebrobasilar territory, there were no significant differences in the distribution of extracranial and intracranial stenotic lesions between the two races. In symptomatic territories, the distribution of extracranial and intracranial stenosis were not significant differences for white and Asian patients. In asymptomatic territories, whites had a higher tendency for isolated extracranial stenosis, whereas Asians had an increased incidence of isolated intracranial stenosis. In the combined symptomatic and asymptomatic, carotid and vertebrobasilar territories, there was an increased incidence of extracranial carotid stenotic lesions in white patients and intracranial anterior circulation stenotic lesions in Asians. Demographic factors alone seemed to explain the difference. Conclusions. Racial differences in the occurrence of extracranial and intracranial lesions raise the possibility of different pathophysiologic abnormalities.     

缺血性卒中患者颅内外血管狭窄率研究

目的:研究缺血性卒中患者颅内外血管狭窄或闭塞的发生率,并对其相关病因进行分析。方法:对经CT/MRI/DWI诊断的缺血性卒中患者的人口构成情况进行登记,了解其相关危险因素。并经TCD和/或MRA了解其颅内外血管狭窄或闭塞的情况。结果:579例缺血性卒中患者中,颅内外血管狭窄的发生率为70.98%(411/579例);411例大动脉狭窄或闭塞患者中,以大脑中动脉狭窄或闭塞最常见(64.48%),其次为颈内动脉(50.36%)。大动脉狭窄或闭塞的主要原因为动脉粥样硬化,引起动脉粥样硬化的危险因素的发病率依次为:高血压病(77.24%),吸烟(63.68%)。通过Logistic回归分析发现,糖尿病、高血压、吸烟是血管狭窄的主要相关危险因素(P值均<0.05)。结论:国内缺血性卒中患者颅内外血管狭窄或闭塞的发生率高,其主要病因为动脉粥样硬化,糖尿病是大动脉狭窄或闭塞的最主要危险因素。     

颈动脉超声对冠状动脉粥样硬化性心脏病合并缺血性脑血管疾病患者颅内动脉狭窄性病变的预测价值

目的探讨颈动脉超声评价冠状动脉粥样硬化性心脏病(CAD)合并缺血性脑血管(ICVD)患者颅内动脉狭窄性病变的预测价值。方法对209例经血管造影证实冠状动脉狭窄(≥70%)同时合并缺血性脑血管疾病的患者采用彩色多谱勒超声(CDFI)和经颅多普勒超声(TCD)分别检查颈动脉和颅内动脉,并将患者分为脑动脉狭窄组与非狭窄组,分别比较两组患者颈动脉超声检查结果中差异有统计学意义的指标。结果颈动脉球部内-中膜(IMT)增厚、不均质回声斑块、多发斑块、颈动脉狭窄与CAD患者合并颅内动脉狭窄性病变之间具有良好的相关关系,(P<0.05)。结论颈动脉内膜增厚、不均质回声斑块,多发斑块、颈动脉狭窄与CAD合并ICVD患者颅内动脉狭窄性病变之间有明显的相关性。采用CDFI对冠状动脉狭窄的患者进行颈动脉检测,在心脑血管事件高危人群中进行筛选,对临床诊断与治疗具有重要的指导意义。     

The role of carotid atherosclerosis in Alzheimer's disease progression

The aim of this 12-month prospective study was to establish whether severe internal carotid artery stenosis is associated with faster progression of the cognitive impairment in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Four hundred and eleven patients with AD underwent extracranial carotid Doppler ultrasound evaluation. Cerebrovascular reactivity to hypercapnia was measured by means of the breath-holding index (BHI) in those with severe carotid artery stenosis using transcranial Doppler ultrasonography. Cognitive status was quantified with the Mini Mental State Evaluation (MMSE). Ninety-eight patients had severe carotid artery stenosis, 41 right (group 1), and 57 left (group 2), while 313 had no significant stenosis (group 3). Group 1 and 2 patients showed an increased probability compared with group 3 patients to develop severe dementia (MMSE scores < 21) during the 12-month follow-up period: OR 2.36 (95% CI: 1.14-4.87) and OR 4.90 (95% CI: 2.65-9.04), respectively (p < 0.05, multiple logistic regression analysis). A BHI value ipsilateral to the stenosis < 0.69 predicted a worse MMSE score at 12 months irrespective of the side of the stenosis. These findings suggest that severe internal carotid artery stenosis can be considered as a marker of a faster rate of progression of the cognitive decline in AD. They also indicate that cerebral hemodynamic evaluation could be applied to identify patients at higher risk of rapid cognitive decline, who may benefit from aggressive treatment, and warrant investigation of the advantages of carotid revascularization procedures in these patients.