Using panoramic radiographs to detect carotid artery calcifications: are they a helpful diagnostic tool?

More than 50% of cerebrovascular accidents are caused by atherosclerotic disease at the carotid artery.1 Carotid artery stenosis may be detected by the standard method of duplex ultrasound (DUS), while calcifications can be detected by panoramic radiographs.2-4 Panoramic radiographs may be used as a selective tool, reducing health costs by identifying individuals at risk of stroke or myocardial infarction.5-7 The present study sought a correlation between laboratory findings/behaviors and panoramic radiographs and DUS images, thus determining the value of the panoramic radiographs' findings.