Add like
Add dislike
Add to saved papers

Carotid stenosis after radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence and risk factors for radiation-induced carotid stenosis in patients with malignant neoplasms of the head and neck.

DESIGN: Prospective cross-sectional screening of extracranial carotid stenosis by color-flow duplex ultrasonography with an analysis of demographic and comorbid risk factors.

SETTING: Tertiary oncology and vascular referral center.

PATIENTS: The study included 96 consecutive patients (75 men and 21 women; mean age, 53.6 years) who had undergone cervical radiotherapy (RT) for nasopharyngeal carcinoma more than 12 months ago. The mean post-RT interval was 79.9 months. Fourteen patients had cerebrovascular symptoms. A group of 96 healthy individuals were used as controls.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Internal carotid stenosis and common carotid artery stenosis were classified by duplex ultrasonography into moderate (30%-69%), severe (70%-99%), and totally occlusive.

RESULTS: Internal carotid artery stenosis of 70% or more was detected in 14 arteries in 12 patients (6 occlusions). Common carotid artery stenosis of 70% or more was found in 11 arteries in 9 patients (4 occlusions). Overall, 15 patients (16%) had critical stenosis in their common or internal carotid arteries, and another 20 (21%) had stenosis in the moderate range. Critical carotid stenosis was not present in any of the control subjects. Severe post-RT carotid stenosis was associated with age (P = .003), smoking (P = .004), heart disease (P<.001), no prior oncological surgery (P<.001), cerebrovascular symptoms (P<.001), and interval from RT (P<.001). Smoking, interval from RT, cerebrovascular symptoms, and no head and neck surgery were significant independent predictors for severe carotid stenosis on multivariate logistic regression analysis.

CONCLUSIONS: Patients who undergo irradiation of the head and neck for more than 5 years have a higher risk of developing significant carotid stenosis (relative risk, 15), and routine duplex ultrasound screening is recommended.

Full text links

We have located links that may give you full text access.
Can't access the paper?
Try logging in through your university/institutional subscription. For a smoother one-click institutional access experience, please use our mobile app.

For the best experience, use the Read mobile app

Mobile app image

Get seemless 1-tap access through your institution/university

For the best experience, use the Read mobile app

All material on this website is protected by copyright, Copyright © 1994-2024 by WebMD LLC.
This website also contains material copyrighted by 3rd parties.

By using this service, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy.

Your Privacy Choices Toggle icon

You can now claim free CME credits for this literature searchClaim now

Get seemless 1-tap access through your institution/university

For the best experience, use the Read mobile app