The role of carotid stenosis ultrasound scale in the prediction of ischemic stroke

Introduction To improve the accuracy of ultrasound techniques for the assessment of carotid stenosis, we designed a novel carotid artery stenosis ultrasound scale (CASUS), and evaluated its accuracy, reliability, and its value in predicting the occurrence of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases in a prospective study. Methods A total of 750 patients with first-time ischemic stroke and hospitalized within 24 h were enrolled in the study. Using color Doppler ultrasound (CDUS), the degree of stenosis and blood flow (BF) in bilateral internal carotid arteries (ICA) and the V1-V3 segment of vertebral arteries (VA) was assessed. Cubic simulation curves for BF and global blood flow (GBF) over the stenosis score (SS), total stenosis score (TSS), and radiological imaging- total stenosis score (RI-TSS) were fitted and compared. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves using TSS, RI-TSS, or GBF to predict various ischemic stroke endpoints were also analyzed and compared. Results There was a linear relationship between SS and BF both ICA and VA (R2 were 0.734 and 0.783, respectively, both P