Prognostic Value of the Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio in Patients with Chronic Internal Carotid Artery Occlusion Complicated by Cerebral Infarction

PURPOSE: This study aims to investigate the prognostic value of the peripheral neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in patients with chronic internal carotid artery occlusion (CICAO) complicated by cerebral infarction. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The clinical data of 99 CICAO patients complicated by cerebral infarction were retrospectively analyzed. The modified Rankin Scale (mRS) was used to assess their 3-month prognosis, and a multivariate logistic regression model was established to explore risk factors for poor prognosis. RESULTS: Multivariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated that NLR (OR=2.114; 95% CI: 1.129–3.959) and baseline National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS; OR=1.288, 95% CI: 1.053–1.574) score were risk factors of poor prognosis. The area under the receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve of NLR in predicting the 3-month outcome after onset was 0.717 (95% CI: 0.606–0.828, P<0.000). The optimal cut-off value was 3.22, with a sensitivity of 0.743 and a specificity of 0.791. CONCLUSION: NLR is an independent risk factor for the poor prognosis of CICAO patients complicated by cerebral infarction and can serve as an indicator for clinical prognosis.