Journal of Vascular Surgery
Volume 51, Issue 1 , Pages 65-70, January 2010

Detection of common carotid artery stenosis using duplex ultrasonography: A validation study with computed tomographic angiography

  • David P. Slovut, MD, PhD

      Affiliations

    • Departments of Cardiology and Vascular Medicine, North Shore Medical Center, Salem, Mass
    • Massachusetts General Hospital Vascular Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Mass
    • ,
  • Javier M. Romero, MD

      Affiliations

    • Department of Neuroradiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Mass
    • ,
  • Kathleen M. Hannon, RN, MS

      Affiliations

    • Massachusetts General Hospital Vascular Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Mass
    • ,
  • James Dick, BS

      Affiliations

    • Massachusetts General Hospital Vascular Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Mass
    • ,
  • Michael R. Jaff, DO

      Affiliations

    • Massachusetts General Hospital Vascular Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Mass
    • Corresponding Author InformationReprint requests: Michael R. Jaff, DO, Medical Director, Vascular Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114

Received 12 June 2009; accepted 1 August 2009. published online 02 November 2009.

Article Outline

Background

Severe stenosis of the common carotid artery (CCA), while uncommon, is associated with increased risk of transient ischemic attack and stroke. To date, no validated duplex ultrasound criteria have been established for grading the severity of CCA stenosis. The goal of this study was to use receiver-operating curve (ROC) analysis with computed tomographic angiography as the reference standard to establish duplex ultrasound criteria for diagnosing ≥50% CCA stenosis.

Methods

The study cohort included 64 patients (42 men, 22 women) with a mean age of 65 ± 12 years (range, 16-89 years) who had CCA peak systolic velocity (PSV) ≥150 cm/sec and underwent computed tomographic angiography (CTA) of the cervical and intracerebral vessels within 1 month of the duplex examination. One study was excluded because the CTA was technically inadequate, whereas another was excluded because the patient underwent bilateral CCA stenting. The CCA ipsilateral to any of the following was excluded from the analysis: innominate artery occlusion (n = 1), previous stenting of the ICA or CCA (n = 7), carotid endarterectomy (n = 1), or carotid-to-carotid bypass (n = 1). Thus, the data set included 62 patients and 115 vessels. Bland-Altman analysis was used to examine the agreement between two measures of luminal reduction measured by CTA: percent diameter stenosis and percent area stenosis. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to determine optimal PSV and EDV thresholds for diagnosing ≥50% CCA stenosis.

Results

Severity of CCA stenosis was <50% in 76 vessels, 50%-59% in eight, 60%-69% in eight, 70%-79% in nine, 80%-89% in three, 90%-99% in five, and occluded in six. Duplex ultrasonography identified six of six (100%) patients with 100% CCA occlusion by CTA. Bland-Altman analysis showed poor agreement between percent stenosis determined by vessel diameter compared with percent stenosis determined by reduction in lumen area. Therefore, subsequent analysis was performed using percent stenosis by area. ROC analysis of different PSV thresholds for detecting stenosis ≥50% showed that >182 cm/sec was the most accurate with a sensitivity of 64% and specificity of 88% (P < .0001). Sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of carotid duplex were higher when the stenosis was located in the mid or distal aspects of the CCA (sensitivity 76%, specificity 89%, area under curve 0.84, P < .001) than in the intrathoracic and proximal segment of the artery (P = NS). ROC analysis of different EDV thresholds for detecting CCA stenosis ≥50% showed that >30 cm/sec was the most accurate with a sensitivity of 54% and a specificity of 74% (P < .0239).

Conclusions

Duplex ultrasonography is highly sensitive, specific, and accurate for detecting CCA lesions in the mid and distal CCA. Use of peak systolic velocity may lead to improved detection of CCA disease and initiation of appropriate therapy to reduce the risk of stroke.

 

Severe stenosis of the common carotid artery (CCA), while uncommon, is associated with transient ischemic attack and stroke.1, 2 Duplex ultrasonography (DUS) remains the primary initial modality for detecting internal carotid artery (ICA) stenosis.3, 4 Using pulsed-wave Doppler velocity measurements and correlating these to invasive contrast arteriography, carotid DUS has excellent sensitivity and specificity for grading the severity of ICA stenosis.5 However, a major shortcoming of DUS is an absence of validated Doppler criteria for grading the severity of CCA stenosis. Although some vascular laboratories attempt to diagnose CCA stenosis based on alterations in carotid waveforms, this analysis may be unreliable, as it may be based on differences in the gain applied and is not strictly quantifiable.

Computerized tomographic arteriography (CTA) has become a widely accepted method for evaluating carotid artery disease. A meta-analysis of the diagnostic accuracy of CTA for the assessment of carotid stenosis reviewed 28 studies that compared CTA with digital subtraction arteriography (DSA). CTA was found to be highly accurate for diagnosing the degree of carotid stenosis, with an overall sensitivity of 97% and specificity of 99%.6 The goal of this study was to use receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis with CTA as the reference standard to establish duplex ultrasound criteria for diagnosing stenosis ≥50% of the CCA.

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Methods 

We retrospectively reviewed the records of 652 patients who underwent carotid ultrasound between April 2006 and May 2008 at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) noninvasive vascular laboratory. The MGH vascular laboratory is accredited by the Intersocietal Commission for the Accreditation of Vascular Laboratories (www.icavl.org). Examinations were performed by a registered vascular technologist with a minimum of 5 years' experience. The indications for carotid duplex included carotid bruit, follow-up of carotid stenosis, transient ischemic attack, stroke, preoperative heart surgery, syncope, vertigo, and amaurosis fugax.

Given that a peak systolic velocity (PSV) of ≥150 cm/sec represents an abnormal measurement in the ICA, we decided to adopt that value as the variable used to search our database for patients with potential CCA stenosis. Patients were selected for inclusion in this study if the PSV of the right or left CCA was ≥150 cm/sec and CTA of the carotid arteries was performed within month of DUS. The indications for CTA included suspected extracranial carotid disease and/or carotid dissection. Sixty-four patients met the study inclusion criteria. One patient was excluded because the CTA was technically inadequate. Another study was excluded because the patient underwent bilateral CCA stenting. The CCA ipsilateral to any of the following was excluded from the analysis: innominate artery occlusion (n = 1), previous stenting of the ICA or CCA (n = 7), carotid endarterectomy (n = 1), or carotid-to-carotid bypass (n = 1). Thus, the data set included 62 patients and 115 vessels. The study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of Partners Healthcare, Boston, Mass.

Doppler spectral velocity analysis was obtained using a small sample volume in the center stream of flow with Doppler angle correction to obtain an angle of insonation ≤60 degrees. Ultrasonography was performed using a multifrequency (7-MHz) linear array transducer (I U 22, Philips Ultrasound, Bothell, Wash; or Logiq 9, General Electric, Milwaukee, Wis). Although different ultrasound machines were utilized, the vascular laboratory has a robust quality assurance program. The findings on carotid artery stenoses are routinely reviewed and compared with other imaging modalities. No disparities have been identified between machines. The left CCA was insonated as for proximal as possible until technically unobtainable due to the clavicle or depth of vessel.

CTA was performed on a General Electric 16- or 64-slice helical CT scanner (General Electric Medical Systems, Waukesha, Wis) by scanning from the aortic arch to the circle of Willis using the following parameters: pitch, 0.7; collimation, 3 mm; maximal mA, 210 to 250; kVp, 140; field of view, 18 cm; and nonionic contrast material, 90 to 120 mL of Isovue 370 contrast (Medrad, Indianola, Penn) administered by power injector at 2 mL to 3 mL per second into an antecubital vein with either a fixed 25-second delay between the onset of contrast material injection and the start of scanning (the delay was increased to 40 seconds in patients with atrial fibrillation), or SmartPrep, an automatic contrast-bolus triggering technique (General Electric Medical Systems). The resulting 1.25-mm-thick axial source images were digitally archived. Standard maximum-intensity projection (MIP) images of the major intracranial vessels were created in the Massachusetts General Hospital 3-D laboratory. MIP reconstruction of the CCA was performed with an Advantage 4.4 workstation (General Electric Medical Systems).

Two examiners (J.M.R. and D.P.S.) who were blinded to the duplex velocity parameters reviewed each CTA simultaneously. Percent stenosis was determined by reduction in luminal diameter and by reduction in the luminal area. Vessel IQ software from Advantage 4.4 (General Electric Medical Systems) was used to measure the area of the vessel lumen and calculate the percent area reduction according to the formula:

where A is the minimal residual lumen area, and B is the area of the corresponding true lumen (Fig 1). The region of interest was manually corrected if the automatic segmentation did not match the margins of the lumen. The immediate proximal most normal CCA was used as reference diameter. In cases where a high-grade lesion was present in the proximal vessel, the normal-appearing segment closest to the proximal vessel was used as a reference.

  • View full-size image.
  • Fig 1. 

    Longitudinal (panel A, left) and axial reconstruction (panel A, right) of the left carotid artery. In the axial image, the vessel lumen of the stenotic common carotid artery has been marked using automated edge detection. The outer vessel wall is readily identified (arrows). The percent area stenosis was 75%. The corresponding Doppler image (panel B) shows elevated peak systolic velocity of 202 cm/sec.

Bland-Altman analysis was used to examine the agreement between two measures of luminal reduction determined by CTA: percent diameter stenosis and percent area stenosis. We employed ROC analysis with the percent area stenosis by CTA as the reference standard to establish the optimum threshold for peak systolic velocity and end-diastolic velocity (EDV). The sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative likelihood ratios, and area under the curve (AUC) for ≥50% CCA stenosis were determined. ROC analysis was also performed after excluding severe ICA stenosis, ICA occlusion, and contralateral CCA occlusion from the data set to determine whether presence of this pathology altered the accuracy of duplex. Excel and Medcalc (Medcalc Software bvba 10.0.2.0, Mariakerke, Belgium) were used for analysis. A P value <.05 was considered significant.

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Results 

The study cohort was comprised of 41 men and 21 women with a mean age of 65 ± 12 years (range, 16-89 years). Risk factors for atherosclerosis included hypertension in 58.0%, diabetes mellitus in 46.8%, dyslipidemia in 53.2%, and tobacco use in 32.3%. A history of coronary artery disease was present in 30.6% of patients.

Quantitative analysis of CTA images revealed that percent stenosis determined by reduction in luminal area was consistently greater than percent stenosis determined by decrease in vessel diameter: only 14 vessels had stenosis ≥50% by CTA diameter versus 40 as determined by CTA area. Bland-Altman analysis demonstrated poor agreement between percent stenosis determined by vessel diameter compared with percent stenosis determined by reduction in lumen area (Fig 2). The limits of agreement were −13.9% and 41.6%. Thus, percent stenosis by diameter may be nearly 15% below or over 40% above stenosis determined by reduction in luminal area. Therefore, subsequent analysis was performed using percent stenosis by area. Severity of CCA stenosis based on reduction in lumen area was <50% in 76 vessels; 50%-59% in eight, 60%-69% in eight, 70%-79% in nine, 80%-89% in three, 90%-99% in five, and occluded in six arteries.

Six of six (100%) patients with 100% CCA occlusion by CTA were identified as occluded by ultrasound. The ROC analysis of different PSV thresholds for detecting stenosis ≥50% showed that peak systolic velocity >182 cm/sec was the most accurate with a sensitivity of 64% and specificity of 88% (P < .0001) (Table I and Fig 3). Thirteen vessels demonstrated severe ICA stenosis, ICA occlusion, and contralateral CCA occlusion. When these arteries were excluded from the ROC analysis, the sensitivity for detecting ≥50% CCA stenosis increased to 72% and the specificity remained unchanged at 87% (P < .0001). The AUC increased from 0.71 to 0.76. The ROC analysis of different EDV thresholds for detecting stenosis ≥50% showed that >30 cm/sec was the most accurate with a sensitivity of 54% and specificity of 74% (P < .0239) (Table II). The AUC was 0.63.

Table I. ROC analysis of PSV threshold for detecting ≥50% stenosis of the common carotid artery
PSV thresholdSensitivitySpecificity+LR−LR
157 cm/sec69631.900.48
170 cm/sec67803.290.42
182 cm/sec64885.250.41
190 cm/sec53905.580.52
202 cm/sec47904.990.58

+LR, Positive likelihood ratio; −LR, negative likelihood ratio; PSV, peak systolic velocity.

The optimal threshold was PSV > 182 cm/sec. The overall model was significant at P < .0001.

  • View full-size image.
  • Fig 3. 

    Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve graph demonstrating the sensitivity and specificity of PSV > 182 cm/sec for detecting ≥ 50% common carotid artery stenosis on CTA. The sensitivity was 64%, specificity was 88%, and area under the curve was 0.71.

Table II. ROC analysis of EDV threshold for detecting ≥50% stenosis of the common carotid artery
EDV thresholdSensitivitySpecificity+LR−LR
20 cm/sec74431.310.59
25 cm/sec60571.390.70
30 cm/sec54742.110.62
35 cm/sec40852.690.70
40 cm/sec31862.330.79

EDV, End-diastolic velocity; +LR, positive likelihood ratio; −LR, negative likelihood ratio.

The optimal threshold was EDV > 30 cm/sec. The overall model was significant at P = .0239.

Lesion location influenced the diagnostic accuracy of ultrasound. When the stenosis or reference segment was located in the intrathoracic or proximal aspect of the CCA the optimal PSV threshold was 159 cm/sec, but the overall ROC model did not reach statistical significance (P = .458). When the stenosis or reference segment was located in the mid or distal aspect of the vessel, a PSV threshold >182 cm/sec was associated with a sensitivity of 76%, specificity of 89%, positive likelihood ratio of 7.47, and a negative likelihood ratio of 0.27 (P < .0001) (Fig 4). The AUC was 0.84.

  • View full-size image.
  • Fig 4. 

    Receiver-operating characteristic curve graph demonstrating the sensitivity and specificity of PSV > 182 cm/sec for detecting ≥ 50% stenosis in the mid- and distal common carotid artery on CTA. The sensitivity was 76%, specificity was 89%, and area under the curve was 0.84.

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Discussion 

Atherosclerotic occlusive disease of the CCA is uncommonly diagnosed, particularly when compared with stenosis of the ICA. The prevalence of proximal CCA occlusive disease in patients undergoing arch and four-vessel cerebral angiography for suspected carotid disease ranges from 1.8%-4.6%.7, 8 Patients with isolated CCA lesions may be asymptomatic or may present with amaurosis fugax, hemispheric symptoms, or aphasia.1 Once diagnosed, treatment options include medical therapy, endovascular repair,1 and surgical reconstruction.9, 10

For more than 2 decades, DUS has served as a highly sensitive and specific means of diagnosing ICA stenosis. Although there is extensive literature that has established quantitative standards for ultrasonographic diagnosis of severe ICA disease,11, 12, 13, 14 few studies examined the role of duplex ultrasound in detecting CCA stenosis.8, 15 McLaren and colleagues reviewed 650 consecutive carotid duplex examinations in patients who also underwent arch and four-vessel cerebral angiography.15 Failure to visualize flow in the CCA was indicative of occlusion; a delayed systolic upstroke or spectral broadening was considered suggestive of proximal stenosis. PSVs were not reported, and no attempt was made to quantify the degree of stenosis. DUS detected 10 occlusions and 17 stenoses, which corresponded with a sensitivity of 96% and specificity of 100%, respectively. In a series of 129 patients who underwent DUS and arch angiography before possible carotid endarterectomy, all six CCA lesions were identified by both modalities. DUS was considered positive if the PSV was dampened (<30 cm/sec) or absent.8

Doppler-derived velocities within the CCA vary significantly even in normal subjects. The PSV decreases, and the end-diastolic velocity increases along the course of the CCA from proximal to distal.16, 17 In normal subjects, the mean PSV in the proximal CCA is 81 ± 22 cm/sec.16 Peak systolic velocity in the CCA may be affected by several factors including vascular geometry, vessel wall compliance, and the presence of ICA stenosis.18, 19 In one study, CCA velocity proximal to an ICA stenosis ≥80% was associated with an abrupt decrease in velocity and blood flow.19 Another study found only a weak correlation (r = 0.3) between PSV in the CCA and severe, unilateral ICA stenosis.20 The presence of concomitant ICA stenosis may decrease the sensitivity of duplex for detecting CCA stenosis.

In the present study, which represents the first to propose quantitative criteria for ultrasound detection of CCA disease, we found that ultrasonography was both highly sensitive and specific for detecting CCA stenosis ≥50%. Doppler-derived PSV >182 cm/sec was associated with a sensitivity of 64% and specificity of 88% for detecting CCA stenosis ≥50% by CTA. An EDV >30 cm/sec was associated with a sensitivity of 54% and specificity of 74% for detecting CCA stenosis ≥50% and does not add to the systolic velocity criterion. DUS detected 100% of CCA occlusions. Characteristics of carotid occlusion include increased echogenicity throughout the course of the vessel, lack of pulsation, and absence of flow signal.21

ROC analysis compares the sensitivity versus specificity across a range of values for the ability to predict a dichotomous outcome. The AUC, a measure of overall diagnostic accuracy, was 0.71 for all vessels and 0.84 for stenoses in the mid and distal CCA. It has been suggested that meaningful conclusions can be drawn from ROC experiments with approximately 100 observations.22 Our data set included 115 CCAs, a sample size associated with a statistically valid result. In the subgroup analysis, however, small sample size (n = 35 observations) prevents us from drawing meaningful conclusions about the accuracy of DUS to detect proximal and intrathoracic CCA stenosis. Thus, based on analysis in the present study, we believe that DUS demonstrates excellent specificity, sensitivity, and accuracy for detecting stenosis in the mid and distal CCA. A larger sample size would be required to assess the accuracy of DUS in the proximal and intrathoracic segments.

We chose duplex peak systolic and end-diastolic velocity of the CCA as the comparison with CTA rather than planimetric measurements for several reasons. The CCA is often calcified, which results in Doppler signal drop-out and makes it difficult to determine the boundaries of the true lumen. Additionally, planimetry is used primarily in research applications and is not widely utilized in non-invasive vascular laboratories. We did not employ color Doppler or power Doppler in the present study. Clevert and colleagues examined use of color-coded Doppler and power-Doppler with CTA to assess ICA lesions; the diameters measured with color-coded and power-Doppler did not correspond well with measured diameters in CTA. The problem was flow dependent: if flow parameters were optimized for high intrastenotic flow, the diameter of ICA stenosis was overestimated. If flow parameters were optimized for low poststenotic flow, blooming artifact was observed.23

Our study employed percent area stenosis measured by CTA as the reference standard. Several studies have examined the use of CTA area as the standard for assessing ICA stenosis.24, 25, 26, 27, 28 Unlike conventional angiography, which provides an outline of the lumen, each axial CT image provides cross-sectional images, permitting direct visualization of the vessel wall and residual lumen. Examining the stacked axial images readily identifies the point of maximal stenosis along the entire length of the CCA. The relationship between CTA luminal area measurements in the assessment of carotid artery stenosis has been compared with lumen diameter measurements by digital subtraction angiography.29 Only satisfactory agreement (kappa 0.54-0.77, P < .001) was obtained between area stenosis on CTA and diameter stenosis on digital subtraction angiography. The authors concluded that area stenosis provides a less severe estimate of the degree of carotid stenosis but might theoretically express the real hemodynamic significance of the lesion better than diameter stenosis, especially in stenoses with noncircular lumen. We acknowledge that the majority of studies examining carotid stenosis to date have utilized stenosis determined by percent diameter reduction. However, we believe that measuring percent area reduction provides a more precise measure of the true lumen dimensions regardless of plaque irregularity and morphology.

We acknowledge certain limitations of this study. This was a retrospective comparison study, and therefore, prospective evaluation of these Doppler criteria is an appropriate next step. We chose a PSV ≥150 cm/sec to select patients for possible inclusion in this study, a criterion which may have excluded patients with high-grade stenosis or total CCA occlusion from our study cohort. The sensitivity and specificity for detecting lesions at the origin and very proximal portion of the CCA may be decreased owing to limited ability to insonate to that depth. Finally, we note that the accuracy of quantitative analysis of the CT scans may be limited by delayed contrast injection during acquisition of the study, as well as dense calcium in the CCA.

In conclusion, DUS is both highly sensitive and specific for detecting CCA stenosis. The use of validated PSV and EDV thresholds will make it easier for noninvasive vascular laboratories to diagnose CCA disease. Detection of CCA lesions may lead to initiation of appropriate therapy for patients with previously undiagnosed cerebrovascular disease.

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Author contributions 


Conception and design: DS, JR, MJ

Analysis and interpretation: DS, JR, MJ

Data collection: DS, JR, KH, JD

Writing the article: DS, JR, MJ

Critical revision of the article: DS, JR, MJ

Final approval of the article: DS, JR, KH, JD, MJ

Statistical analysis: DS

Obtained funding: N/A

Overall responsibility: MJ

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 Competition of interest: none.

 The editors and reviewers of this article have no relevant financial relationships to disclose per the JVS policy that requires reviewers to decline review of any manuscript for which they may have a competition of interest.

PII: S0741-5214(09)01614-0

doi:10.1016/j.jvs.2009.08.002

Journal of Vascular Surgery
Volume 51, Issue 1 , Pages 65-70, January 2010

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