ABSTRACT
Carotid stenosis is responsible for 20-30% of cerebrovascular accidents. The benefit of surgical intervention in reducing the risk of stroke in carotid occlusive disease has been validated in several multicentre trials, for example the North American Symptomatic Carotid Endarterectomy Trial (NASCET),1 Asymptomatic Carotid Atherosclerosis Study (ACAS)2 and European Carotid Surgery Trial (ECST).3 Carotid angioplasty for the treatment of carotid occlusive disease as an alternative to surgery is currently being evaluated. It is important to know how to detect and evaluate the severity of carotid stenosis. Different techniques can be used, including angiography, carotid duplex scanning,4,5 computed tomographic (CT) scans and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
