Extracranial carotid stenosis (ICD-10-GM I65.2: occlusion and stenosis of the carotid artery) is the narrowing of the carotid artery outside the bony skull (extracranial).
It is referred to as asymptomatic stenosis if there have been no stenosis-associated symptoms in the past 6 months.
Atherosclerosis (arteriosclerosis, hardening of the arteries) underlies carotid stenosis in more than 90% of cases.
Preferred sites of carotid stenosis are the carotid bulb and the junction of the internal carotid artery (ACI).
Sex ratio: Men are affected approximately twice as often as women.
Frequency peak: risk increases with age.
The prevalence (disease incidence) of extracranial carotid stenosis in the general population is 0.5-1.0 percent. In individuals <70 years of age, the prevalence of moderate stenosis is 4.8% in men and 2.2% in women. In the 70-plus age group, the prevalence is 12.5% in men and 6.9% in women. The prevalence of high-grade stenosis is up to 4.9%.
Course and prognosis: Up to 20% of cerebral infarctions (synonyms: ischemic stroke, cerebral ischemia, ischemic insult) are caused by lesions of the extracranial vessels supplying the brain.
Comorbidity (concomitant disease): carotid stenosis is associated with coronary artery disease (CAD, coronary artery disease) in 60-70% of cases.
