Y. Asakawa, H. Takekawa, K. Suzuki, M. Yamamoto, M. Okamura, T. Nishihira, A. Iwasaki, K. Hirata
Dokkyo Medical University – Mibu, Japan
Objective: Dilatation of common carotid artery (CCA) has been indicated as an independent risk factor for thoracic and abdominal aortic aneurysm (AA); however, it has not been yet established in Japanese patients with AA. This study aimed to identify CCA diameter of preoperative patients with AA.
Material and Methods: We evaluated 40 AA patients and 40 controls. External and internal diameters of bilateral CCA during diastolic phase were measured in each group. Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare differences between two groups, and receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) was used to evaluate optimal sensitivity and specificity for diagnosing the co-morbidity of AA.
Results: There were no significant differences in background characteristics of the two groups. With regard to findings of ultrasonography, all diameters were significantly larger in group AA than control group. Based on ROC, the area under curve of the right side external diameter, right side internal diameter, left side external diameter and left side internal diameter were 0.702, 0.675, 0.667 and 0.668, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of right side external diameter using a cutoff level of 9.4mm were 42.9% and 90.5%, respectively and using a cutoff level of 8.6mm were 64.3% and 64.3%, respectively.
Discussion: This finding suggests that the increased right side external diameter of CCA during the diastolic phase is associated with AA co-morbidity.
Key words: aortic aneurysm, common carotid artery diameter.