Prevalence of carotid web in a French cohort of cryptogenic stroke

Carotid webs (CaW) may be an under-recognized cause of anterior circulation cryptogenic ischemic stroke (ACIS). Prevalence is still unknown in European patients with ACIS.

To evaluate the prevalence of CaW in ACIS and describe patients with CaW phenotype in a cohort of patients from a French stroke center.

We conducted a retrospective monocentric cohort study from 01/01/2015 to 31/12/2019 (Montpellier University Hospital, France), in consecutive anterior ischemic stroke (AIS) patients ≤65 years old from a prospective stroke database. Using ASCOD phenotyping, ACIS patients were selected and cervical CTA were reviewed to find CaW.

Among 1053 consecutive AIS patients, 266 ACIS patients with CTA were included. Among patients included (mean age 50, women 58%), CaW was in the ipsilateral carotid (iCaW) in 21 patients: 7.9% (95%CI [4.6-11.1]), (mean age 51, 11 women, 16 Caucasian). iCaW were uncovered during study review of CTA in 6/21 (29%) patients. Comparison between patients with iCaW and those without iCaW showed no differences except that of a higher rate of intracranial large vessel occlusion (LVO) (62.4 vs 37.6%; p = 0.03). Patients with iCaW under conservative medical therapy had an annualized stroke recurrence rate (SRR) of 11.4% (95%CI [8.4-15.1].

iCaW was identified as a source of stroke in about 8% of a French population ≤65 years with ACIS. iCaW was associated with a higher rate of LVO and a high SRR under conservative medical therapy.