Why the study?
Few studies have evaluated the prognostic significance of diameter-based carotid sonographic measurements for cardiovascular and all-cause mortality.
Is carotid artery diameter reduction determined by ultrasound associated with increased cardiovascular and all-cause mortality in patients undergoing carotid duplex ultrasound?
Is carotid artery diameter reduction determined by ultrasound associated with increased cardiovascular and all-cause mortality in patients undergoing carotid duplex ultrasound?
Carotid artery diameter reduction measured by routine ultrasound is an independent predictor of cardiovascular and all-cause mortality.
Carotid diameter reduction on ultrasound may aid mortality risk stratification; leaves open whether it adds value beyond standard measures in prospective studies.
Background Few studies have evaluated the prognostic significance of diameter‐based carotid sonographic measurements for mortality. We investigated whether a reduction in diameter of different carotid anatomical segments is associated with cardiovascular and all‐cause mortality in a hospital‐based cohort with universal health care. Methods and Results We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 38 201 patients who underwent carotid duplex ultrasound at a medical center in Taiwan. Carotid sonographic parameters were the diameter reduction percentage in carotid bifurcation, the internal carotid artery, the common carotid artery, and the external carotid artery and the overall carotid atherosclerotic burden score, determined by summing the scores from all segments. The vital status was ascertained by linking data to National Death Registry until 2017. During a median follow‐up of 4.2 years, 5644 participants died, with 1719 deaths attributable to cardiovascular diseases. The multivariable‐adjusted hazard ratios (HRs; 95% CIs) for cardiovascular mortality were 1.33 (1.16‒1.53), 1.58 (1.361.84), and 1.89 (1.58, 2.26) for participants with 30% to <40%, 40% to <50%, and ≥50% reduction in carotid bifurcation diameter, respectively, compared with participants with <30% diameter reduction ( P for trend <0.001). The corresponding HRs (95% CIs) for all‐cause mortality were 1.25 (1.16‒1.34), 1.42 (1.31‒1.54), and 1.60 (1.45‒1.77), respectively. Diameter reduction at other carotid sites and the carotid atherosclerotic burden score exhibited the same dose–response relationship. Conclusions This study suggests that reduction in carotid artery diameter, which can be determined through routinely available sonography, is an independent risk factor for all‐cause and cardiovascular mortality.
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Chen et al. (2021) studied this question.
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