Ultrasound detection of cerebral microembolism in carotid stenoses: progress and perspective (A review of the literature)

Abstract

The review summarizes available information regarding the method of Transcranial doppler sonography (TCD) usage to record microembolism in patients with carotid artery stenosis, search for information was carried out in literature 1997–2020 (PUBMED, MEDLINE).History overview of TCD with embolodetection implementation is presented, as well as ways of its technical and methodological improvement. Evidence-based studies of the method clinical relevance in atherosclerotic carotid stenoses and their surgical treatment are outlined. Observation results of the intraoperative cerebral embolization during carotid endarterectomy and carotid artery stenting are presented along with comparison of TCD-embolodetection data, neuroimaging and clinical outcomes. Individual centres and multicenter study ACES data on prognostic value of registration of embolic signals in asymptomatic carotid stenosis, risk assessment of vascular events in diffe-rent groups of patients and in varying degrees of stenosis of the vessel lumen was analyzed. The role of embolodetection in predicting repeated cerebrovascular disorders in symptomatic carotid stenosis and its importance for monitoring antiplatelet therapy is set out (multicenter study CARESS). The evidence of the reliability of TCD embolodetection as tool for verificarion of at-risk patients with carotid stenosis who may benefit ftom surgical treatment is presented.Recent advances in ultrasound and other imaging techniques for assessing unstable plague are outlined along with prospects for the use of TCD monitoting for cerebrovascular disorders forecasting.