Advances in Clinical and Experimental Medicine

Title abbreviation: Adv Clin Exp Med
JCR Impact Factor (IF) – 1.736
5-Year Impact Factor – 2.135
Index Copernicus  – 168.52
MEiN – 70 pts

ISSN 1899–5276 (print)
ISSN 2451-2680 (online)
Periodicity – monthly

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Advances in Clinical and Experimental Medicine

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doi: 10.17219/acem/159756

Publication type: original article

Language: English

License: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0)

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Urbanowicz TK, Rodzki M, Michalak M, et al. Large unstained cell (LUC) count as a predictor of carotid artery occlusion [published online as ahead of print on March 15, 2023]. Adv Clin Exp Med. 2023. doi:10.17219/acem/159756

Large unstained cell (LUC) count as a predictor of carotid artery occlusion

Tomasz Kamil Urbanowicz1,A,B,C,D,F, Michał Rodzki1,B,C,F, Michał Michalak2,C,F, Anna Olasińska-Wiśniewska1,C,E,F, Anna Witkowska1,B,F, Beata Krasińska3,E,F, Michał Bociański1,B,F, Aleksandra Krasińska-Płachta4,B,F, Agnieszka Cieśla5,B,F, Sebastian Stefaniak1,E,F, Marek Jemielity1,E,F, Zbigniew Krasiński6,E,F

1 Department of Cardiac Surgery and Transplantology, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Poland

2 Department of Computer Science and Statistics, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Poland

3 Department of Hypertension, Angiology and Internal Diseases, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Poland

4 Department of Ophthalmology, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Poland

5 Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Poland

6 Department of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery, Angiology and Phlebology, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Poland

Abstract

Background. Carotid artery stenosis is often considered a stable clinical condition, and the underlying atherosclerosis is thought to have an inflammatory background.
Objectives. The aim of the study was to assess the value of different parameters obtained from whole blood counts for the prediction of advanced carotid artery atherosclerosis, including vessel occlusion, irrespective of symptom occurrence.
Material and Methods. The study group comprised 290 patients (84 (29%) females and 206 (71%) males) with a mean age of 68 ±8 years, who were admitted to the Vascular Surgery Department due to significant carotid artery disease. Patients were retrospectively divided into 2 subgroups regarding the presence or absence of artery occlusion. The demographic, clinical and laboratory preoperative data were compared between both groups.
Results. We found significant differences in preoperative large unstained cell (LUC) counts between patients with and without carotid artery occlusion (p = 0.003), when analyzed with the Mann–Whitney test for independent samples. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve showed that LUC count has prognostic properties for carotid artery occlusion, with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.637 (p = 0.033), yielding a 69.70% sensitivity and a 51.75% specificity.
Conclusion. Large unstained cells represent an acute inflammatory state related to artery occlusion. An LUC count below the cutoff value of 0.16×109/L may be a predictor of carotid artery occlusion. Therefore, carotid artery occlusion should not be regarded as a chronic state, but as a clinical challenge being promoted by active inflammatory processes.

Key words

inflammation, atherosclerosis, occlusion, carotid stenosis, large unstained cells

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