The Prevalence of Carotid Artery Disease in Candidates of Coronary Artery Bypass Graft

Background/ Patients with concomitant coronary artery disease and carotid artery disease are at risk of developing serious neurologic events in pre- and post-coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) operation. The objective of this study was to determine the carotid Doppler ultrasonography findings in candidates for CABG. Patients and Between September 2004 and October 2005, we performed pre-operative Doppler study of carotid vessels in all candidates for CABG admitted to our hospital. We evaluated the level of stenosis, and the type, site and nature of the plaque for all patients according to the Nicoladis guideline. MeanSD age of patients studied was 67.58.6 (range: 29–84) years. Among 352 patients undergoing CABG, 143 (40.3%) had carotid disease. Stenosis 50% was observed in 10.5% of females and 5% of males (P=0.07). Significant stenosis (≥50%) was seen in 32 (9.1%) of patients, while 13 (3.8%) had critical stenosis (≥70%); 2 (0.6%) had complete occlusion of the left internal carotid artery. The prevalence of carotid stenosis and atherosclerotic plaques was higher in patients aged <60 years (P=0.002). The frequency of carotid stenosis in our patients is similar to other reports. Age is the important associated factor for carotid artery disease in candidates of CABG.