HOLO Labs

Abstract

Carotid artery stenosis has been linked to cardiovascular disease and stroke risk, with distinct differences across population demographics. The research aims to quantify and catalog carotid artery stenosis of the carotid bulb in review of stenosis prevalence at end of life, as well as to compare post-mortem rates of stenosis to published data of screened, living patients. The current literature lacks a robust library of stenosis data on cadaveric subjects, specifically - an increasingly vasculopathic American population, and the study data and analysis will serve as supplemental educational material for medical students and clinical professionals in considering patients at risk for cardiovascular disease and/or stroke.

​​The current body of literature explores the prevalence of carotid artery stenosis primarily through screening living at-risk patients with doppler ultrasonography, MR angiography, and CT angiography. The majority of patients are screened at the carotid bulb, with the NASCET criteria currently held as the standard assessment protocol. However, there is a gap in contemporary literature pertaining to catalogued data of carotid artery stenosis of cadaveric subjects.

​The current patient populations most significantly associated with carotid artery stenosis in living patients are male sex, increased age, and Native American or Caucasian race. In the general population, severe cases of asymptomatic carotid stenosis ranged between 0-3.1%. This population also displayed an annual stroke risk of 2-5%. With concerns of an increasingly vasculopathic American population, stenosis rates of post-mortem subjects may elucidate a greater prevalence of stenosis than assumed from screened living patients. The research study aims to meet the need for a comprehensive library of carotid artery stenosis data by providing post-mortem values of bulb stenosis.

References