Key result
Carotid ultrasound effectively screens high-risk community populations for carotid artery disease to prevent stroke.
Why the study?
Stroke is a leading cause of death and disability in the UK, necessitating effective screening for carotid artery atherosclerosis to reduce morbidity and mortality.
Does carotid ultrasound screening effectively predict the presence of stenosis in patients at risk for carotid artery atherosclerosis?
Does carotid ultrasound screening effectively predict the presence of stenosis in patients at risk for carotid artery atherosclerosis?
Carotid ultrasound is an effective and highly accurate tool for screening high-risk patients for carotid artery disease in the community.
Supports targeted carotid ultrasound screening in primary care; leaves open whether programs reduce stroke in asymptomatic populations.
BACKGROUND: Stroke is the third most common cause of death in the UK and the largest single cause of severe disability. Each year more than 110,000 people in England suffer from a stroke which costs the National Health Service (NHS) over GBP2.8 billion. Thus, it is imperative that patients at risk be screened for underlying carotid artery atherosclerosis. AIM: To assess the role of carotid ultrasound in different carotid screening programmes. METHODS: A literature overview was carried out by using PubMed search engine, to identify different carotid screening programmes that had used ultrasound scan as a screening tool. RESULTS: It appears that the carotid ultrasound is an effective method for screening carotid artery disease in community as it effectively predicts the presence of stenosis with high accuracy. There is a need for primary care to recommend high risk patients for regular screening, to reduce stroke and transient ischemic attack (TIA) related morbidity and mortality. CONCLUSION: Screening programmes using carotid ultrasonography contribute to public health awareness and promotion which in long term could potentially benefit in disease prevention and essentially promote better standards of healthcare.
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Saleem et al. (2008) conducted a review in Carotid artery disease. Carotid ultrasound screening was evaluated on Detection of carotid artery stenosis. Carotid ultrasound is an effective and accurate non-invasive method for screening carotid artery disease in high-risk community populations to prevent stroke.
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