Collateral Assessment by CT Angiography as a Predictor of Outcome in Symptomatic Cervical Internal Carotid Artery Occlusion

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Cervical internal carotid artery occlusion can present with varied clinical manifestations such as transient ischemic attack, stroke, and chronic ocular ischemia, or can be asymptomatic. The outcome in these patients is considerably influenced by cerebral hemodynamic compensatory adaptation of the intracranial collateral pathways. Our aim was to study whether collateral circulation as assessed by CT angiography can predict 3-month outcome and initial stroke severity in patients with symptomatic cervical ICA occlusion.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a retrospective study of 65 patients with symptomatic cervical ICA occlusion from January 2011 to December 2013. The collateral vessels (anterior and posterior communicating arteries, ophthalmic artery, and leptomeningeal arteries) were assessed by CTA. The outcome at 3 months was defined as poor if the modified Rankin Scale score was ≥3.

RESULTS: The mean age of subjects was 57 ± 11.6 years (range, 32–80 years), and 92% were men. Thirty-three (50.8%) patients had poor outcome. Absence of the ipsilateral ophthalmic artery, poor leptomeningeal collaterals, and <2 collaterals were predictors of stroke severity at onset and poor 3-month outcome in univariate analysis. In the multiple logistic regression analysis, inadequate flow through the secondary collaterals (ipsilateral ophthalmic artery or leptomeningeal collaterals; OR, 4.5; 95% CI, 1.4–14.9; P = .01) and higher NIHSS score at stroke onset (OR, 19.2; 95% CI, 2.2–166.2; P = .007) independently predicted poor outcome at 3 months.

CONCLUSIONS: Assessment of collateral circulation with CTA can be a useful predictor of 3-month outcome in patients with symptomatic cervical ICA occlusion.