A novel method to quantify carotid artery stenosis by Doppler ultrasound: Using the continuity principle

A novel method to quantify carotid artery stenosis by using the continuity principle was evaluated. It was hypothesized that the novel method improved the accuracy of carotid ultrasound in assessing carotid artery stenosis.

Forty-nine patients were retrospectively studied. They were at a high risk for stroke and myocardial infarction, with significant cardiovascular risk factors. They were studied by carotid ultrasound as well as by one of the accepted gold standard techniques (computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging or angiography). The cross-sectional areas of the narrowed part of the carotid arteries were measured using the continuity principle, and the percentage stenosis was thus calculated.

The analyses showed that the combination of the conventional and novel criteria (ie, classifying a case as significant only if its stenosis was 67% or greater and its peak systolic velocity was 130 cm/s or greater) conferred the highest accuracy in predicting significant carotid stenosis compared with the gold standard techniques.

From a practical point of view, the combined criteria might be useful for improving the accuracy of carotid ultrasound in predicting significant carotid stenosis.