Prevalence of Carotid Kinking and Coiling in a Population at Risk

The prevalence of carotid kinking and coiling in patients with hypertension or diabetes was investigated. The authors studied three groups: 130 subjects with hypertension, 105 with diabetes, and 50 normal subjects who were comparable for age, sex distribution, and the presence of other risk factors. Color flow ultrasonography of the extracranial carotid arteries was performed by standard technique. Hard-copy photographs were obtained in three long-axis and three short-axis projections. The prevalence of carotid kinking and coiling was significantly higher in the group of hypertensive patients than in diabetics and normal subjects (14.6% vs 2% and 14.6% vs 4%, respectively; P < 0.01 for both compar isons). The prevalence of carotid kinking was associated with the duration of hyperten sion, whereas it did not show any association with cigarette smoking and serum choles terol levels. A long-term observation of these patients is necessary for determining the natural history of carotid kinking and the potential for modification by adequate antihy pertensive therapy. The results of this study show that a significantly higher prevalence of carotid kinking is present in hypertensive patients in comparison with normal subjects and diabetics and this is correlated with the time of onset of hypertension.