Objective: This study was performed to demonstrate the role of Doppler ultrasonography (DUSG) in the determination of carotid artery stenosis.

Material and Method: This retrospective study was conducted by using the data of 145 patients. The findings of the DUSG and DSA were included. The degree of carotid artery stenosis in the DSA was calculated according to the criteria of the North American Symptomatic Carotid Endarterectomy Study (NASCET) and the European Carotid Surgery Study (ECST). The patients were divided into two main groups: with and without stenosis. Then, four stages were determined according to the degree of stenosis in the carotid artery. Consistency between the two tests was evaluated with Kappa test.

Results: A total of 290 right and left carotid arteries were examined. In our study, the sensitivity of Doppler USG in detecting carotid artery stenosis was generally high (77.5%). However, the specificity was found to be relatively low (70.4%). There was a low consistency between DUSG and DSA for detection of the 50%-70% stenosis. However, in the >70% stenosis, the specificity of DUSG increased (87.5%-97.7%), while a decrease was observed in the sensitivity (%66.7). According to the Kappa test, it was noted that there was a moderate to high consistency between the two tests, especially in detecting >70% stenosis.

Conclusion: In conclusion, DUSG can be considered a reliable method in carotid artery stenosis over 70%.