Large interindividual and intraindividual variations in carotid bifurcation anatomy exist, which may serve as a risk factor for atheroma development.
We found large interindividual differences in carotid bifurcation anatomy. For example, there was 4-fold variation of the ratio of outflow to inflow area. Intraindividual variation was also considerable. These data highlight the potential importance of anatomic variation as a risk factor for atheroma and provide a firm basis for flow modeling studies.
Schulz et al. (Thu,) studied this question.