IMR Press / RCM / Volume 23 / Issue 7 / DOI: 10.31083/j.rcm2307240
Open Access Review
Application of Carotid Duplex Ultrasonography in the Surveillance of Carotid Artery Stenosis after Neck Irradiation
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1 Division of Radiation Oncology, Department of Radiology, Far Eastern Memorial Hospital, 220 New Taipei, Taiwan
2 Division of Cardiology, Cardiovascular Medical Center, Far Eastern Memorial Hospital, 220 New Taipei, Taiwan
3 School of Medicine, College of Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, 112 Taipei, Taiwan
4 Institute of Traditional Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, 112 Taipei, Taiwan
5 Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Far Eastern Memorial Hospital, 220 New Taipei, Taiwan
6 Biomedical Engineering Office, Far Eastern Memorial Hospital, 220 New Taipei, Taiwan
7 Department of Electrical Engineering, Yuan Ze University, 320 Taoyuan, Taiwan
8 Medical Device Innovation and Translation Center, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, 112 Taipei, Taiwan
*Correspondence: shuengsir@gmail.com (Pei-Wei Shueng)
Academic Editors: Fabrizio D’Ascenzo and Dimitrios Farmakis
Rev. Cardiovasc. Med. 2022, 23(7), 240; https://doi.org/10.31083/j.rcm2307240
Submitted: 28 January 2022 | Revised: 23 March 2022 | Accepted: 22 April 2022 | Published: 27 June 2022
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cardio-Oncology)
Copyright: © 2022 The Author(s). Published by IMR Press.
This is an open access article under the CC BY 4.0 license.
Abstract

Head and neck cancer (HNC) shares some risk factors with cardiovascular disease. Neck radiotherapy (RT) causes carotid artery injury and stenosis. In HNC patients treated with RT, the prevalence rate of severe (>70%) carotid artery stenosis is >10%, and the cumulative incidence continuously increases over time. There is at least a two-fold risk of cerebrovascular events in these patients compared with the normal population. Carotid artery stenosis is mainly assessed and diagnosed via duplex ultrasonography. Angioplasty and stenting may be recommended to patients who developed severe post-irradiation carotid artery stenosis. This review assessed Taiwanese data that provided some recommendations for HNC patients treated with RT. With consideration of the high prevalence rate of carotid artery stenosis after neck irradiation, duplex ultrasonography should be included in the follow-up workup.

Keywords
carotid artery stenosis
radiotherapy
head and neck cancer
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