Cerebrovascular diseases in patients with arteriosclerotic aortic aneurysm and arteriosclerosis obliterans studied by carotid ultrasonography and by computed tomography of the brain

To estimate the incidence of cerebrovascular diseases in arteriosclerotic aortic aneurysm (AA) and arteriosclerosis obliterans (ASO) and their characteristics, 92 patients with AA and 102 patients with ASO were studied with carotid ultrasonography and brain computed tomography (CT), and were compared with 49 patients with hypertension. The mean ages of the patients were 70 to 72 years old and all were male. Hypertension was common in the AA group: diabetes and cigarette smoking were common in the ASO group. Carotid plaque lesions seen on ultrasonography were significantly more common in the AA (66%) and ASO (85%) groups than in the patients with hypertension (39%). The mean carotid diameter was significantly greater in the AA group than in the other two groups. The mean wall thicknesses in the AA and ASO groups were greater than in the patients with hypertension. Computed tomography showed that low-density areas were also common in the AA group (56%) and ASO (53%) groups than in the patients with hypertension (24%). Most of the low-density areas were thought to be lacunae or dilated perivascular spaces in the subinsula and putamen. Moderately and highly severe periventricular lucencies were also common in the AA group. These findings indicate that carotid changes, seen in AA and ASO, reflected the characteristics of arterial lesions, and that arteriolosclerotic lesions were common in patients with AA and ASO. Therefore, cerebrovascular diseases should be taken into account in the management of patients with AA and ASO.