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Acetazolamide Stress Brain-Perfusion SPECT Predicts the Need for Carotid Shunting During Carotid Endarterectomy

Departments of Nuclear Medicine, Vascular Surgery, and Neurology, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea

Although carotid shunting is occasionally necessary to prevent cerebral ischemia during carotid endarterectomy, there is no reliable indication for this procedure. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether acetazolamide stress brain-perfusion SPECT can predict the need for carotid shunting during carotid endarterectomy. Methods: Basal and acetazolamide stress brain-perfusion SPECT imaging was performed using a 1-d protocol and ^99mTc-ethylcysteinate dimer (ECD) in 75 patients (12 women, 63 men; mean age, 64.8 y) before carotid endarterectomy. The need for carotid shunting during carotid endarterectomy was determined by the development of neurologic deterioration after carotid clamping under regional anesthesia. Regional cerebral blood flow, cerebrovascular reserve, the presence of contralateral carotid stenosis (70%), and clinical risk factors, including age, sex, history of minor stroke or transient ischemic attack, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and smoking, were assessed with regard to whether they could predict the need for shunting. Results: Carotid endarterectomy was performed safely without carotid shunting in 61 of 75 patients (81.3%). Carotid shunting was required in 14 patients (18.7%). Seven of 21 patients with a contralateral carotid stenosis, 9 of 41 with a reduced regional cerebral blood flow, and 11 of 30 with a reduced regional cerebrovascular reserve underwent carotid shunting. Patients with a reduced cerebrovascular reserve had a significantly higher number of carotid shunts performed (P < 0.01) than did those with a normal reserve, whereas contralateral carotid stenosis (P = 0.054) showed borderline significance. Reduced cerebral blood flow and clinical risk factors did not predict the need for carotid shunting (P > 0.1). Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that reduced cerebrovascular reserve was the only reliable predictor of the need for carotid shunting (P < 0.01). When a severely reduced cerebrovascular reserve (8/8) or reduced cerebral blood flow and cerebrovascular reserve with contralateral carotid stenosis (6/7) were present, carotid shunting was necessary, with positive and negative predictive values of 91% (10/11) and 94% (60/64), respectively. Conclusion: A reduced cerebrovascular reserve can predict the development of cerebral ischemia during carotid clamping. Acetazolamide stress brain-perfusion SPECT may be useful as a complementary method in determining selective carotid shunting during carotid endarterectomy.

Key Words: ^99mTc-ECD • acetazolamide • SPECT • carotid shunt • endarterectomy

Received Oct. 29, 1999; revision accepted Mar. 8, 2000.

For correspondence or reprints contact: Dae Hyuk Moon, MD, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, 388-1, Poongnap-dong, Songpa-gu, Seoul 138-736, Korea.

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