ABSTRACT
Epidemiologically, it is also important to recognize that, although carotid artery disease is common in the general population, the prevalence of stenosis with luminal narrowing > 50% is rare (e.g. < 8% in the Cardiovascular Health Study). We know that the 5-year risk of stroke in asymptomatic patients with < 60% carotid artery stenosis is ˜ 8% (and 1.6% annually). 10 Therefore, although the individual risk for cerebrovascular events with low-and moderate-grade luminal narrowing is relatively low, the implication for the overall risk of cerebrovascular events may be significant because of the high prevalence of this finding.
