Assessment of doppler ultrasound exploration of the supra-aortic trunks in the medical imaging department of the Sourô Sanou university hospital center in Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso from 2018 to 2023

Abstract

Introduction: Doppler ultrasound is at the forefront of the exploration of supra-aortic trunks (SAT) exposed to a variety of diseases. Few ultrasound data concerning the exploration of SAT are available in Burkina Faso. The aim of our study was to describe the results of exploration SAT by Doppler ultrasound in the medical imaging department of the teaching hospital in Bobo-Dioulasso from 2018 to 2023.

Method: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study with retrospective data collection from January 2018 to 31 December 2023. We included all patients aged 18 years and older, seen at the medical imaging department of the teaching hospital in Bobo-Dioulasso for exploration of SAT. The European Carotid Surgery Trial (ECST) classification was used to assess the degree of carotid stenosis.

Results: A total of 74 patients with a mean age of 62.24 years were included. The sex ratio was 1.38. The main personal histories were arterial hypertension (46.88%), diabetes (28.13%) and ischemic stroke (12.5%). The main indications for the examination were etiological assessment of ischemic stroke (69.86%) and etiological assessment of transient ischemic attack (9.59%). Doppler ultrasound of SAT was pathological in 85.14% of cases on the left and 84.08% on the right, with atheromatous plates as the most frequent lesions. Stenosing lesions were very moderate (74.19%), moderate (22.58%), quite tight (1.61%) and occlusive (1.61%).

Conclusion: Doppler ultrasound remains useful for diagnosing SAT lesions dominated by atheromatous disease, which accounts for a large proportion of the etiologies of ischemic stroke in our setting. Early detection of atherosclerotic lesions by Doppler ultrasound could prevent complications of atheromatous disease.

Key words : Doppler ultrasound, supra-aortic trunks, atheromatous disease, Bobo-Dioulasso.