[Variation of Doppler ultrasonography of carotid arteries].

The variation of ultrasound examination of the carotid arteries performed at two different hospitals was examined by retrospective analysis. Eighty-one patients were primarily examined by ultrasound at their local hospital on the suspicion of carotid stenosis. Following referral, they underwent a further scanning at the Dept. of Vascular Surgery, Rigshospitalet. Results for 143 carotid arteries were available for comparison. The overall agreement between the two examinations was only 59%. In nine of 40 (22%) cases an originally diagnosed minor stenosis was found to be significant and 3/19 (16%) with shown occlusion were found to be patent at the later examination. In order to draw clinical conclusions validation of each individual laboratory performing ultrasound examination of extracranial cervical arteries is necessary.