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(Stroke. 2006;37:531.)
© 2006 American Heart Association, Inc.

Research Reports

Distribution of Carotid Arterial Lesions in Chinese Patients With Transient Monocular Blindness

Hung-Yi Hsu, MD, PhD; Fu-Yi Yang, MD; A-Ching Chao, MD; Yen-Yu Chen, MD; Chih-Ping Chung, MD; Wen-Yung Sheng, MS, MPH Han-Hwa Hu, MD

From the Section of Neurology (H-Y.H.), Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung; Section of Neurovascular Diseases (F-Y.Y., Y-Y.C., C-P.C., W-Y.S., H-H.H.), Neurological Institute, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei; Neurological Department (A.-C.C.), Kaohsiung Medical University Chung-Ho Memorial Hospital, Kaohsiung; and National Yang-Ming University (H.-Y.H., F-Y.Y., Y-Y.C., C-P.C., W-Y.S., H-H.H.), Taipei, Taiwan.

Correspondence to Han-Hwa Hu, MD, Neurological Institute, Taipei Veteran General Hospital, 201 Sec.2, Shihpai Rd, Taipei, Taiwan 11217. E-mail hhhu{at}vghtpe.gov.tw

Background and Purpose— Asian patients with cerebrovascular diseases have more intracranial atherosclerosis and less extracranial carotid artery stenosis compared with white patients. We systemically evaluated the distribution of carotid arterial lesions in Chinese patients with transient monocular blindness (TMB), which was rarely reported.

Methods— We prospectively evaluated 105 consecutive patients with TMB. All of the patients received ocular and physical examinations, blood tests for coagulation function and autoimmune diseases, and ultrasonography of cervical and intracranial arteries. All of the carotid lesions were confirmed by magnetic resonance angiography or cerebral angiography.

Results— Of the 36 (34.3%) patients with significant carotid stenosis (50%), 16 (15.2%) had extracranial carotid stenosis; 17 (16.2%) had carotid siphon stenosis; and 3 (2.9%) had both. The duration, onset, and patterns of visual loss were not different between patients with and without carotid arterial lesion.

Conclusions— This study signified the importance of carotid siphon stenosis as a probable underlying etiology for TMB in Chinese patients.

Key Words: carotid arteries • Chinese • siphon stenosis • transient monocular blindness

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