Risk factors of internal carotid artery tortuosity

Objective. To determine the main factors contributing to internal carotid artery (ICA) tortuosity. Material and methods. The study included 180 patients divided into two groups: the study group (150 patients) and the control group (30 patients). Data were collected using a standardized questionnaire and medical records. CT angiography data were used including degree of ICA tortuosity and stenosis, as well as tortuosity index as ratio of length of tortuous and straight segments. Results. The risk assessment model for ICA tortuosity demonstrated high effectiveness with AUC 0.883 and statistical significance (p<0.001). The threshold value of logistic function was 0.846 with sensitivity and specificity 88.5% and 71.9%, respectively. Combination of risk factors such as arterial hypertension, age over 60 years and dyslipidemia significantly increases the likelihood of ICA tortuosity. Conclusion. The study confirmed arterial hypertension, age over 60 years, smoking and dyslipidemia as the main risk factors of ICA tortuosity.