Does Carotid Artery Tortuosity Play a Role in Stroke?

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Vascular Imaging
• Medical Diagnostics

Background:

• Cerebrovascular diseases, including stroke, pose a significant global health burden.
• Anterior circulation ischemic stroke is a common subtype requiring investigation into its underlying causes.
• Carotid artery anatomy, including length and tortuosity, may influence stroke risk.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between carotid artery length and tortuosity and the incidence of anterior circulation ischemic stroke.
• To determine if carotid artery geometry is a predictive factor for stroke.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective study including 166 patients with anterior circulation ischemic stroke.
• Computed Tomography Angiography (CTA) data analyzed for internal carotid artery (ICA) and common carotid-internal carotid artery (CCA-ICA) length and tortuosity.
• Statistical analysis including Mann-Whitney test and logistic regression to assess associations.

Main Results:

• A statistically significant association was found between the tortuosity index of both ICA and CCA-ICA segments and stroke occurrence (P=0.0001).
• Carotid artery length did not show a significant association with stroke.
• High inter-observer concordance was achieved for measurements of vessel length and tortuosity.

Conclusions:

• Carotid artery tortuosity is a significant independent predictor of anterior circulation ischemic stroke.
• Carotid artery length is not significantly associated with stroke risk.
• Tortuosity index may serve as a valuable marker in stroke risk stratification.