Comparison of Digital Subtraction Angiography with Doppler Ultrasound in Assessment of Carotid Artery Stenosis Severity

Background: Imaging of the vascular system supplying the brain parenchyma is a diagnostic tool in the evaluation of stroke patients.This study aimed to compare the results of digital subtraction angiography with color Doppler ultrasound of the carotid arteries in patients with ischemic stroke.Methods: In this cross-sectional-analytical study, the medical records of patients with ischemic stroke admitted to Imam Khomeini Hospital from July 1401 to July 1402 were reviewed to collect data.Demographic information, along with the results of color Doppler ultrasound and digital subtraction angiography of the patients, were extracted and evaluated.Results: This study included 48 patients with ischemic stroke with a mean age of 12.8 0.67 years.Hypertension was present in 68.8%, diabetes mellitus in 20.8%, and smoking in 25% of patients.Based on the results of digital subtraction angiography and color Doppler ultrasound, the most common vascular abnormality was plaque (79.2%).Vascular stenosis and occlusion were present in 91.7% of patients.Color Doppler ultrasound in examining the right and left internal carotid arteries had a sensitivity of 94.9% and 92.8%, specificity of 66.7% and 38.9%, positive predictive value of 92.1% and 70.3%, and negative predictive value of 75% and 77.8%.Conclusions: Color Doppler vascular ultrasound demonstrated high sensitivity and specificity in detecting the presence and severity of stenosis in internal carotid arteries of ischemic stroke patients, supporting its use as a non-invasive and cost-effective method in clinical practice.