Using ultrasound to assess volume flow in the carotid arteries (V1)
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A prospective study using ultrasound to assess the distribution of volume flow in carotid arteries and evaluate its relationship with carotid disease.
IRAS ID
161608
Contact name
Ming Yeung
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Portsmouth Hospital Trust, Research and Development Office
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 3 months, 4 days
Research summary
Transient Ischaemic Attack (TIA) or mini-strokes and strokes are a major health concern in the NHS. Each year, approximately 130,000 people in England have a TIA or stroke. A common cause of this is build up deposits narrowing blood vessels in the neck. Some patients with significant narrowing in their blood vessels may require surgery to reduce their risk of future strokes and the surgical decision is based on an ultrasound diagnostic scan. This scan can identify and quantify the amount of narrowing in the neck vessels using various classification criteria. In ultrasound, there are several methods used to classify disease however there is one measurement that is available to obtain but is currently not used in standard practice. This measurement is obtaining the volume flow of blood in the blood vessels.
This study is designed to measure volume flow in the neck arteries with an aim to expand knowledge on blood flow circulation to the brain. Recent reports have raised some issues of inconsistency in the current velocity classification criteria causing confusion in grading disease (Bryant et al 2013). This study will also investigate the relationship between volume flow with severity of carotid disease to determine its usefulness in aiding the diagnosis of carotid disease.
All patients referred to Portsmouth Hospital with a suspected TIA or stroke undergoes a carotid ultrasound scan as part of their routine management which typically takes 15 minutes. It is proposed that for the ~3 months period of study the additional measurement of volume flow is taken. This will add ~5 minutes to the routine assessment following patient’s written consent and will not require any extras visits to the department.
REC name
West Midlands - Solihull Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
14/WM/1184
Date of REC Opinion
20 Oct 2014
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion