[Correlations between the clinical symptoms of cerebral ischemia and its angiographic findings]

Statistical correlations were sought between the clinical data, the neurological signs and the results of angiography in 224 patients who had had panangiography for cerebral ischaemia. With advancing age there is an increase in the incidence of stenosis, but not of occlusion in the cervical portion of the carotid artery. Patients who suffer from peripheral or coronary occlusive artery disease have a higher incidence of stenosis and occlusion of the cervical carotid artery, but most are clinically silent. If there is a cardiac source of embolism, the main lesions are found in the middle cerebral artery. The frequency of middle cerebral artery branch occlusions is elevated in areas distal to stenosis and occlusion of the carotid artery. More than half of the patients whose neurological deficit augmented over a period exceeding one day have lesions in the cervical carotid artery. The degree of narrowing of the carotid or middle cerebral artery shows a negative correlation with neurological recovery, but in transient ischaemic attacks with recovery under one hour there is a high incidence of carotid artery stenosis. As to the neurologic symptoms there was a clear difference between the findings in medial cerebral artery ischaemia and those in vertebrobasilar ischaemia. Furthermore, the findings in the former condition show a positive correlation with the gravity of the deficit, whilst those of the vertebrobasilar artery correlate with the symptoms of a lacunar state. 9 of 10 patients with amaurosis fugax had lesions of the ipsilateral carotid artery.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)