E. Titianova 1,4, I. Velcheva5, S. Karakaneva 1, K. Hristova 5, Z. Ramsheva 2, K. Ramshev 3
1 Clinic of Functional Diagnostics of Nervous System,
2 Clinical Laboratory,
3 Department of Cardiology and Intensive Care, Military Medical Academy – Sofia,
4 Medical Faculty of Sofia University St. K. Ohridski – Sofia,
5 State University Hospital of Neurology and Psychiatry, Medical University – Sofia, Bulgaria

Objective: To study the relationship between carotid pathology, cardiac function and risk factors (RF) for cerebrovascular diseases (CVDs).

Material and Methods: Color duplex sonography of carotid arteries was performed in 924 patients: 368 with RF for CVDs, 126 with transient ischemic attacks (TIAs), 287 with chronic unilateral infarction (CUI) and 143 with multiple infarctions. The intima media thickness (IMT) of the common carotid (CCA) and internal carotid (ICA) arteries was measured by B-mode and M-mode scanning. Nonmodifiable (age and sex) and some modifiable (hypertension, diabetes mellitus, atrial fibrillation or other cardiac conditions, dyslipidemia, carotid artery stenoses and obesity) RF for CVDs were evaluated. In 67 subjects with RF, 57 patients with CVDs (31 with TIAs and 26 with CUI) and 16 healthy volunteers correlative clinical, neurosonographic and echocardiographic investigations were performed.

V. Demarin
Aviva Medical Centre – Zagreb, Croatia

Cerebrovascular diseases (CVD) represent conditions which occur as a result of changes in blood vessels of the brain, as well as the vessels supplying the brain. The most common types of CVDs are ischemic stroke, transient ischemic attack, hemorrhagic stroke and vascular dementia. CVDs affect millions of people worldwide, regardless of age, and represent a group of very important medical and social problems. Therefore, their prevention is becoming an imperative. Risk factors, such as age, gender, genetic factors, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, hypercholsterolemia, atrial fibrillation, orlifestyle,are causing changes of vessel walls which lead to CVD. Early changes of the blood vessel wall can be detected by early ultrasound screening methods which allow us to detect changes before the disease becomes clinically evident.