Don’t screen for carotid artery stenosis in asymptomatic adult patients.

Rationale and Comments

There is good evidence that for adult patients with no symptoms of carotid artery stenosis the harms of screening outweigh the benefits. Screening could lead to nonindicated surgeries that result in serious harms, including death, stroke, and myocardial infarction.

Sponsoring Organizations

American Academy of Family Physicians

Sources

U.S. Preventive Services Task Force

Disciplines

Neurologic
Preventive Medicine

References

American Academy of Family Physicians. Screening for carotid artery stenosis policy. http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/ clinical/exam/carotidartery.html.
U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Screening for carotid artery stenosis. http://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/ uspstf/uspsacas.htm.
Wolff T, et al. Screening for asymptomatic carotid artery stenosis. Evidence synthesis no. 50. Rockville, Md.: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; 2007. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK33504/.