Why the study?
Are there sex differences in carotid bifurcation anatomy and the distribution of atherosclerotic plaque?
Are there sex differences in carotid bifurcation anatomy and the distribution of atherosclerotic plaque?
Anatomical sex differences in the carotid bifurcation, specifically larger relative ICA size and outflow-to-inflow ratios in women, may partly explain the sex differences observed in carotid atheroma prevalence.
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May partly explain sex differences in carotid plaque; hypothesis-generating and should not yet change imaging practice.
Sex differences in carotid bifurcation anatomy are not limited to absolute vessel size. In addition, the outflow to inflow area ratio is bigger in women, and relative to the CCA and ECA, women have larger ICAs than men. Irrespective of whether these differences are congenital or acquired, they may partly explain the sex differences that we found in the distribution of plaque and the sex differences in the prevalence of carotid atheroma in the general population.
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Schulz et al. (2001) studied this question.
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