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To detect haemodynamically significant lesions in the aortoiliac arteries, invasive tests such as angiography and intra-arterial pressure measurement (IAPM) are considered valuable diagnostic tools. The value of duplex scanning as a direct non-invasive examination technique was prospectively compared with intra-arterial digital subtraction angiography (IADSA) and IAPM at rest, and after the administration of papaverine in 60 patients. Excellent agreement, as assessed by the kappa statistic, was shown between duplex scanning and IADSA (kappa = 0.81). A fair agreement was shown between duplex scanning and IAPM (kappa = 0.63), and between IADSA and IAPM (kappa = 0.63). Duplex scanning and IADSA both missed some less haemodynamically critical lesions if IAPM was considered the 'gold standard'. It is concluded that duplex scanning detects haemodynamically significant lesions as effectively as angiography and so may be considered a new and valuable diagnostic tool. IAPM remains necessary to detect some lesions of borderline haemodynamic significance. However, with future developments, duplex scanning has the potential to replace the need even for IAPM.

Advocates of carotid artery patching claim a reduced incidence of recurrent stenosis after endarterectomy. A prospective study was undertaken to determine its value with random selection between primary closure and saphenous vein patching. A consecutive series of 129 carotid endarterectomies was evaluated by duplex scanning at 3, 6, and 12 months after operation. Intravenous digital subtraction angiography (DSA) was performed in the first postoperative days for control of the surgical technique and after 1 year to serve as a reference for the duplex scanning. Sixty-two patients were selected to have primary closure and 67 were chosen for the patching technique. Both groups were identical with regard to risk factors (mean age 63 years, 74% were men, 57% had hypertension, 41% had coronary disease, 37% had peripheral arterial disease, and 9% had diabetes mellitus), side of operation (55% left), symptoms (18% were asymptomatic), and postoperative DSA (81% were normal, 17% had residual lesions, and 2% had occlusions). A complete 1-year follow-up was obtained in 105 cases (81%); duplex scanning showed recurrent stenosis of more than 50% in 12 cases (11%). This was significantly higher after primary closure (10 of 48 patients = 21%) compared with patch closure (2 of 57 = 3.5%; p = 0.006) and also in women (6 of 25 = 24%) compared with men (6 of 80 = 7.5%; p = 0.03). Recurrent stenosis was present in 6 of 11 women with primary closure (55%), 4 of 37 men with primary closure (11%), 2 of 43 men with patching (5%), and none of 14 women with patch closure (0%).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

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