Factors Distinguishing Proximal and Distal Internal Carotid Artery Occlusions in Patients with Acute Ischemic Stroke

Acute internal carotid artery (ICA) occlusions cause extensive brain ischemia. Accurate determination of the occlusion site facilitates rapid revascularization interventions and improves prognosis. However, proximal ICA occlusions, as determined with computed tomography (CT) angiography, often are located more distally. Therefore, we assessed clinical and imaging factors associated with the accurate determination of occlusion sites. In this observational study, we evaluated 102 patients who presented acute ischemic stroke symptoms and had a CT angiography within 6 h, showing proximal ICA occlusion. The participants were divided into two groups, depending on whether there was correspondence between digital subtraction angiography and CT angiography regarding the occlusion location. Proximal occlusions were, accordingly, categorized as “true” (correspondence) or “false” (no correspondence; distal). Demographic, clinical, and imaging features were analyzed. Multivariate regression analysis was performed to identify factors predicting the correspondence between actual ICA occlusion sites and those detected by CT angiography. The shape (Odds ratios, OR = 646.584; Confidence interval, CI = 21.703–19263.187; p < 0.001) and the length (OR = 0.696; CI = 0.535–0.904; p = 0.007) of the ICA occlusion and atrial fibrillation (OR = 0.024; CI = 0.002–0.340; p = 0.006) were significant factors. The cut-off length of ICA stump at 6.2 mm, the sensitivity was 71%, and the specificity was 70% (area under the ROC curve = 0.767).