Objective: To assess a possible correlation between high blood pressure and prevalence of kinking in carotid arteries.
Design: Between July 1, 1997 and December 31, 1998, we evaluated the subjects submitted to Echocolordoppler examination of carotid arteries.
Setting: Patients were examined at the Laboratory for Noninvasive Vascular Diagnostics of the University Hospital in Verona.
Subjects: 590 consecutive subjects (M/F ratio, 1/1.2; mean age, 67 years; range, 36-86 years).
Main outcome measures: An Echocolordoppler ultrasonograph to evaluate by means of the standard longitudinal and transverse scans the usual parameters of both intima-to-lumen interface and flow. Moreover, particular attention was paid to the analysis of the conformational characteristic of the vessels. Kinking has been classified in three classes according to the degree of bending. All the subjects were asked to compile a questionnaire that provided us with the clinical history.
Results: The prevalence of hypertension in the subjects with kinking appeared higher than in subjects without this abnormality (chi2 = 6.44, P < 0. 02). We found also a significant association between kinking and transitory ischaemic attacks (chi2 = 6.987, P < 0.01).
Conclusions: The high prevalence of kinking in the hypertensives agrees with the pathogenetical hypothesis ascribing a role to the high endoluminal pressure. The presence of hypertension and kinking of the internal carotid artery suggests that they could be additive risk factors in the pathophysiology of a transitory ischaemic attack.