Analysis of the relationship between atherosclerosis and anatomical characteristics of carotid bifurcation in Chinese population based on CTA

XI Yumeng; FAN Zhenzhen; YUAN Kailin; DONG Zhihui

Abstract：Objective To investigate the relationship between the anatomical and morphological characteristics of the carotid bifurcation and the formation of atherosclerotic plaques in this areaon computed tomography angiography(CTA).Methods Im-aging and clinical data of 118 patients who underwent carotid or head and neck CTA were selected.Risk factors for plaque forma-tion in the carotid bifurcation were analyzed.The cases were divided into plaque and no-plaque groups according to the presence or absence of plaque in the carotid bifurcation.CTA was used to document TF-AHCB staging of the carotid bifurcation,to mea-sure geometric parameters of the carotid artery(including lumen area at different locations),to monitor the nature of the plaque(soft,calcified and mixed plaques)and the location of the plaque,and to analyze the relationship between the morphology of the carotid bifurcation and atherosclerotic plaque formation and development.Results Of the 236 vessels in 118 patients,111 were in the plaque group and 125 in the no-plaque group.There were statistically significant differences in age,history of coronary heart disease,and stroke between the plaque and non-plaque groups(P<0.05).Compared with the non-plaque group,the cross-sectional area of the internal carotid artery at the dilated site(internal carotid sinus,ICS)was larger in the plaque group(51.85 mm2 vs 47.54 mm2),while,other geometric features showed no difference between two groups.The Type B group had higher ves-sel areas at the proximal,distal,and dilated parts of the internal carotid artery than the Type A and Type C groups.Conclusion Multi-slice spiral CTA and its post-processing technology can effectively measure and evaluate carotid bifurcation geometry,and deeply investigate the relationship between carotid bifurcation and plaque formation,which can provide a powerful help for the clinical work of ischemic stroke.