Cephalocervical CT angiography and ABCD2 score for the evaluation of arterial characteristics and interventional curative effect in patients with transient ischemic attack / 介入放射学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To discuss the application of cephalocervical CT angiography (CTA) and ABCD2 score in evaluating arterial characteristics and interventional curative effect for patients with transient ischemic attack (TIA). Methods During the period from Jan. 2010 to Jan. 2012, a total of 64 patients with clinically-diagnosed TIA were admitted to authors’ hospital. ABCD2 score evaluation and cephalocervical CTA examination were performed in all patients. The correlation of stenotic degree and distribution of the cephalocervical arteries with the ABCD2 score was analyzed. According to the stenotic degree of the cephalocervical arteries, the patients were divided into low-risk group and mid-to-high-risk group. Twenty-two patients in mid-to-high-risk group received stenting angioplasty treatment. Follow-up was made at 3, 6 and 12 months after the treatment. Results Of 64 TIA patients, cephalocervical artery stenosis was found in 52(81.25%) A total of 149 arterial segments were involved, including intracranial segment (n=81, 54.36%) and extracranial segment (n = 68, 45.64%). Patients in low-risk group mainly suffered slight or moderate arterial stenosis, while patients in mid-to-high-risk group had moderate or serious arterial stenosis (χ2 =10.126, P=0.018). The preoperative ABCD2 score was (6.41 ± 0.50). The ABCD2 scores determined at 3, 6 and 12 months after the treatment decreased to(2.88 ± 0.69), (2.82 ± 0.63) and(3.00 ± 0.71), respectively. The differences were statistically significant (F = 86.657, P < 0.05). Conclusion Cephalocervical CT angiography and ABCD2 score can reliably evaluate the arterial stenosis and interventional curative results in TIA patients.