Abstract
BACKGROUND: Stroke is a clinical condition in which blood flow to a brain area is interrupted by occlusion or hemorrhage. At present, the diagnosis and treatment of stroke are based on the use of biochemical markers and imaging methods. The degree of inflammation in the vessel wall may be reflected by changes in endocan levels. The aim of this study was the investigation of the role of endocan blood levels in the determination of large- and small-vessel occlusion in acute ischemic stroke. METHODS: This was a prospective, single-center clinical study. Sociodemographic characteristics, physical examination, laboratory findings, and endocan levels were recorded. Patients with ischemic stroke were categorized as large-vessel occlusive (LVO) or small-vessel occlusive (SVO) on computed tomography (CT) angiography. Blood endocan levels were compared between the 2 groups. RESULTS: A total of 110 patients were included in the study; the mean age of these patients was 69.2 years and 50.5% were male. Large-vessel occlusive was present in 33.3% (n = 31) of these patients, and endocan levels were higher in the LVO group but without statistical significance (P > .05). Modified Rankin Score was higher in the LVO group while Glasgow Coma Score was lower and both were statistically significant (P < .001). The area under the receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve for troponin was 0.762 and statistically significant (P = .001). CONCLUSION: Serum endocan levels did not differ significantly between LVO patients and controls. However, more research is needed to determine how significant these high endocan levels are in diagnosing major artery disease. Cite this article as: Tekin E, Çelik M, Tortum F, et al. The role of endocan level in determining large and small vessel occlusion in acute ischemic stroke. Eurasian J Med. 2026, 58(2), 1094, doi: 10.5152/ eurasianjmed.2026.251094.