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Distinguishing carotid artery pseudo-occlusion with color-flow Doppler
S S Berman1, J J Devine, L S Erdoes
1Section of Vascular Surgery, University of Arizona Health Sciences Center, Tucson 85724.
Background And Purpose:
This study was undertaken to determine the impact of color-flow Doppler on the accuracy of noninvasive carotid imaging for distinguishing an internal carotid artery pseudo-occlusion (string sign) from a complete occlusion.
Methods:
From January 1985 to January 1994, review of noninvasive vascular studies, arteriograms, and operative reports of 26 consecutive patients undergoing 27 carotid endarterectomies for carotid pseudo-occlusion was performed. Further review was conducted of all patients identified with carotid occlusion by noninvasive testing who underwent confirmatory arteriography during the same interval.
Results:
Conventional gray-scale duplex scanning (January 1985 to December 1989) correctly identified 3 of 11 (27%) pseudo-occluded internal carotid arteries compared with 15 of 16 (94%) internal carotid artery pseudo-occlusions correctly identified by color-flow Doppler (January 1990 to June 1994) (P < .01). Similarly, carotid occlusion was more accurately identified by color-flow Doppler (33 of 33, 100%) compared with gray-scale duplex scanning (19 of 27, 90%) (P < .01).
Conclusions:
The addition of color-flow Doppler to the duplex evaluation of the extracranial carotid circulation improves the accuracy of distinguishing carotid pseudo-occlusion from the occluded internal carotid artery and may obviate the need for arteriography to identify patients with this critical level of carotid stenosis.