Diagnostic accuracy of doppler ultrasonography to detect carotid artery disease in hypertensive patients, while taking CT Angiography as the gold standard.

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of Doppler ultrasonography in detecting carotid artery disease in hypertensive patients, using CT angiography as the reference standard. Study Deisng: Cross-sectional study. Setting: Radiology, Ghurki Trust Teaching Hospital, Lahore. Period: November 2025 to March 2026. Methods: Which consisted of 148 hypertensive patients. Each patient was exposed to Colour Doppler ultrasonography and then to CTA within 24 hours. The results obtained were classified into true positive, true negative, false positive, and false negative. Calculation of sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and overall accuracy was made based on CTA as the gold standard. Results: The presence of carotid stenosis was confirmed by CTA in 60.8% of patients. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and accuracy of diagnosis by DUS were 93.3%, 75.9%, 85.7%, 88.0%, and 86.5%, respectively. DUS accurately detected 93.3% of patients with stenosis and excluded 75.9% of patients without stenosis. Similar results were obtained in the subgroups stratified by age, gender, BMI, and concomitant diseases. The prevalence of detection increased with the progression of stenosis severity. Conclusion: Doppler ultrasonography demonstrates high sensitivity and commendable diagnostic accuracy in identifying carotid artery disease among hypertensive patients. But its moderate specificity shows that CT angiography is still important for confirmation and planning before an intervention. For the best care of patients, a combined diagnostic approach is recommended.