OBJECTIVE: To compare the rate of ischemic events and intracranial hemorrhage in the long-term follow-up of patients with persistent and transient severe stenosis or occlusion of the internal carotid artery (ICA) due to spontaneous dissection (ICAD).
METHODS: One hundred and sixty-one consecutive patients with unilateral ICAD causing severe stenosis or occlusion were examined clinically and by ultrasound 1 year after symptom onset. Forty-six cases with persistent and 46 age- and latency-matched cases with transient (recanalization complete or less than 50% stenosis) severe stenosis or occlusion of the ICA were enrolled. Nine patients with surgical, endovascular, or fibrinolytic therapy for ICAD or associated stroke were excluded. Antithrombotic therapy was given at the discretion of the treating physician. Clinical follow-ups were done annually.
RESULTS: Antithrombotic therapy and follow-up were similar in patients with permanent (6.2 +/- 3.4 years) and transient (7.2 +/- 4.3 years) severe stenosis or occlusion of the ICA. Cases with permanent carotid stenosis or occlusion showed annual rates of 0.7% for ipsilateral carotid territory stroke and of 1.4% for any stroke. Cases with transient carotid stenosis or occlusion showed annual rates of 0.3% for ipsilateral carotid territory stroke and of 0.6% for any stroke.
CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that ICAD has a benign long-term prognosis with low rates of ipsilateral carotid territory and any stroke and that the stroke rate in ICAD is not related to the persistence of severe carotid stenosis or occlusion. These results question the rationale of surgical or catheter-based revascularization in patients with ICAD.