2016 Volume 25 Issue 10 Pages 851-857
During the determination of the rate of stenosis of the internal carotid artery (ICA), digital subtraction angiographic (DSA) images demonstrated only the luminal aspect of the vessel, and the thickness of the plaque was not considered. While the ultrasonic measurement of the ICA can demonstrate the thickness of vessel wall and plaque, the existence of plaque calcification and high position of the plaque makes it difficult to evaluate the rate of stenosis.
For the calculation of an accurate and physiological rate of stenosis, we used a 3-dimensional workstation to measure the vertical cross section of the narrowest part of ICA stenosis based on computed tomography angiography (CTA) images in 15 patients undergoing carotid endarterectomy (CEA). The rate of stenosis calculated by the 3-dimensional workstation and the ultrasonic measurement demonstrated a significant positive correlation.
Moreover, this method was useful even for cases that were considered difficult to be evaluated by carotid ultrasonography.
