To assess the clinical value of carotid artery color Doppler ultrasonography (CDUS) combined with transcranial color coded sonography (TCCS) in evaluating therapeutic efficacy for ischemic stroke.

The clinical data of 100 patients with ischemic stroke admitted to the Department of Neurology of the First Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical College from March 2020 to May 2021 were selected and given standard treatment. CDUS and TCCS were performed 3 months after treatment to assess the efficacy, which was confirmed by digital subtraction angiography (DSA) to evaluate the value of CDUS combined with TCCS in assessing therapeutic efficacy for ischemic stroke.

The peak systolic velocity (PSV), end diastolic velocity (EDV), and pulsatility index (PI) of the middle cerebral artery, the terminal segment of the internal carotid artery, and the anterior cerebral artery after treatment were significantly higher, and the resistance index (RI) after treatment was significantly lower than those before treatment (P＜0.05 for all). The PSV, EDV, PI, and RI of the basilar artery after treatment were significantly lower than those before treatment (P＜0.05 for all). The proportion of severe intracranial artery stenosis after treatment was significantly lower and the proportion of mild stenosis was significantly higher than those before treatment (P＜0.05 for both). The PSV, EDV, PI, and RI of the carotid artery after treatment were significantly lower than those before treatment (P＜0.05 for all). The proportion of severe carotid stenosis after treatment was significantly lower and the proportion of mild stenosis was significantly higher than those before treatment (P＜0.05 for both). ROC curve analysis showed that area of the ROC curve (AUC) of CDUS alone to evaluate the efficacy of ischemic stroke was 0.794 (95%CI: 0.701~0.826), with a sensitivity of 78.52% and specificity of 73.31%. The AUC of TCCS alone for evaluating the efficacy of ischemic stroke was 0.726 (95%CI: 0.611~0.786), and the sensitivity and specificity were 74.37% and 71.01%, respectively. The AUC of the two modalities combined for evaluating the efficacy of ischemic stroke was 0.945 (95%CI: 0.815~0.982), with a sensitivity of 96.51% and specificity of 97.88%.

The efficiency of CDUS combined with TCCS in assessing therapeutic efficacy for ischemic stroke is comparable to that of DSA, and the combination can be used as one of the effective means for follow-up screening of patients after treatment.