This Clinical Efficacy Assessment Project report evaluates when and how to study the carotid arteries. Several commonly encountered clinical situations are considered, and recommendations are provided regarding whether or not diagnostic testing should be done and, if so, whether noninvasive or invasive tests are preferable. The study also evaluates the safety, contraindications, efficacy, limitations, and costs of available diagnostic tests. The uncritical use of diagnostic tests could lead to the identification of lesions not causally related to the patient's symptoms, and the discovery of such lesions might lead to unnecessary carotid angiography and endarterectomy. Recommendations regarding when and how to
Diagnostic Evaluation of the Carotid Arteries. Ann Intern Med. ;109:835–837. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-109-10-835
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© 2018
Published: Ann Intern Med. 1988;109(10):835-837.
DOI: 10.7326/0003-4819-109-10-835
Healthcare Delivery and Policy, Prevention/Screening.
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