Does severe carotid stenosis and associated hemodynamic impairment increase the risk of cognitive deterioration in asymptomatic subjects?
Severe carotid stenosis, particularly when accompanied by hemodynamic impairment, is associated with an increased risk of cognitive deterioration in asymptomatic patients.
Our findings show that the presence of a severe carotid stenosis influences cognitive deterioration over a 36-month period in asymptomatic subjects. An associated hemodynamic impairment significantly increases the risk. Evaluation of functional consequences of carotid stenosis may offer the opportunity to select a group with an increased risk of developing cognitive impairment from subjects with asymptomatic severe carotid stenosis.
Balestrini et al. (2013) studied this question.