Digital panoramic radiography: a reliable method to diagnose carotid artery atheromas?

Objectives: The aim of the present study is to evaluate the panoramic radiographs of 4106 patients for carotid artery atheromas (CAAs) and to correlate our findings with the literature. Materials and methods: The digital panoramic radiographs of 4106 dental patients (2428 female, 1678 male) were evaluated. Radiographs of patients 40 years of age or older were randomly chosen from a computer database. CAA findings were defined as radiopaque masses adjacent to the cervical vertebrae at or below the intervertebral space between C3 and C4 on the panoramic radiograph. The patients who had CAA findings were contacted by telephone, and some of them agreed to further evaluation. Evaluation included carotid ultrasound, ECG, echocardiography and treadmill exercise testing at the Department of Cardiology. Results: Of 4106 patients, 88 patients (2.1%; 70 female, 18 male) had one or more radiopaque mass detected on digital images. All 88 patients with CAA findings were contacted by telephone and 23 agreed to further e...