Higher carotid intima media thickness predicts extracranial vascular events and not stroke recurrence among transient ischemic attack patients.

BACKGROUND: Increased common carotid artery intima-media thickness has been associated with an increased risk of vascular ischemic events. We investigated the relationship between common carotid artery intima-media thickness and extracranial vascular events (coronary heart disease and peripheral arterial disease) or stroke recurrence in a cohort of transient ischemic attack patients from the REGITELL registry.

METHODS: High-resolution B-mode ultrasonographic measurements of the common carotid artery intima-media thickness were performed in a series of 283 consecutive transient ischemic attack patients. Clinical, neuroimaging, ultrasonographic, and etiological data were collected. Patients were followed prospectively for six-months or more. Extracranial vascular events and stroke recurrence were recorded.

RESULTS: Fifteen extracranial vascular events (12 coronary heart disease and three peripheral arterial disease) and 29 recurrent strokes occurred during a median follow-up period of 12.3 months. Patients who experienced extracranial vascular events had significantly (P < 0.001) higher common carotid artery intima-media thickness values (1.087 (standard deviation 0.189) mm) than subjects who were free of extracranial vascular events (0.887 (standard deviation 0.195) mm). Nevertheless, common carotid artery intima-media thickness was not found to correlate with stroke recurrence. Cox proportional hazards multivariate analyses identified hypercholesterolemia (hazard ratio 6.87, 95% confidence interval: 1.93-24.39, P = 0.003) and common carotid artery intima-media thickness > 0.939  mm (hazard ratio 8.90, 95% confidence interval: 2.00-39.49, P = 0.004) as independent predictors of extracranial vascular events after transient ischemic attack. Almost one of every three patients with hypercholesterolemia and high common carotid artery intima-media thickness had extracranial vascular events.

CONCLUSIONS: An elevated common carotid artery intima-media thickness value was associated with a higher long-term risk of extracranial vascular events but no with stroke recurrence. Hypercholesterolemia was the main risk factor for extracranial vascular events. The combination of hypercholesterolemia and common carotid artery intima-media thickness > 0.939  mm justify the establishment of aggressive therapies and the study of subclinical coronary heart disease and peripheral arterial disease.