Carotid Health in Patients with Cerebral Venous Thrombosis
Naman M Shah1, Aralikatte Onkarappa Saroja1, Karkal Ravishankar Naik1
1Departments of Neurology and Radiodiagnosis, Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Belagavi, Karnataka, India.
Insights
Cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) patients showed a higher risk of carotid atherosclerosis, though no significant differences in carotid hemodynamics were found compared to controls. Long-term follow-up is recommended for preventive measures.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Vascular Medicine
- Stroke Research
Background:
- Cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) is an uncommon stroke cause with shared risk factors with arterial strokes, including hyperhomocysteinemia, tobacco, and alcohol use.
- These risk factors can impact both arterial and venous health, potentially leading to atherosclerosis in CVT patients.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate carotid hemodynamics in patients diagnosed with cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT).
Main Methods:
- A prospective hospital-based case-control study was conducted with 50 CVT patients and 50 healthy controls.
- Demographic data, vascular risk factors, clinical, biochemical, and radiological parameters were collected.
- Carotid sonography was performed on CVT patients within 24 hours of admission.
Main Results:
- Eight CVT patients (16%) exhibited abnormal carotid sonography findings, including non-flow-limiting plaques, carotid occlusion, increased intimal-medial thickness, and elevated peak systolic velocity.
- Three controls (6%) had non-flow-limiting plaques.
- No significant differences in carotid hemodynamic parameters were observed between CVT patients and controls, or between patients with normal versus elevated homocysteine levels.
Conclusions:
- This study suggests a potentially higher relative risk for carotid atherosclerosis in CVT patients, although carotid hemodynamics did not differ significantly.
- Further long-term follow-up is warranted to establish preventive strategies for carotid atherosclerosis in this patient population.
Background:
Cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) is an uncommon cause of stroke and shares common risk factors with arterial strokes such as hyperhomocysteinemia, tobacco, alcohol, drugs, and hypercoagulable state. These risk factors can alter both arterial and venous health leading to the occurrence of atherosclerosis in CVT patients.
Aims:
To evaluate carotid hemodynamics in CVT patients.
Settings And Design:
Prospective hospital-based case-control study.
Methods:
This study included 50 consecutive CVT patients and 50 healthy controls. The demographic data, vascular risk factors, clinical data, biochemical, and radiological parameters were recorded. Carotid sonography was performed in CVT patients within the first 24 h of admission.
Statistical Analysis:
MedCalc 17.
Results:
The age of the patients was 35.04 ± 9.48 years and the controls 38.88 ± 10.41 years with male preponderance in both groups. Risk factors for atherosclerosis among patients included hyperhomocysteinemia (40 patients), diabetes mellitus (4 patients), hypertension (9 patients), alcohol (17 patients), and tobacco (21 patients). Eight patients had abnormal carotid sonography. Six had nonflow-limiting plaques, one had carotid occlusion, two had increased intimal-medial thickness, and one had increased peak systolic velocity. Among the controls, three subjects had nonflow-limiting plaques. There was no difference in carotid hemodynamic parameters between controls and patients; and those with normal and elevated homocysteine.
Conclusion:
This is the first study to our knowledge looking at carotid health in venous strokes. The relative risk for carotid atherosclerosis in CVT patients is higher and requires long-term follow-up for the initiation of preventive measures.
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