Background: Hispanics have a greater incidence of stroke and prevalence of intracranial atherosclerosis than whites. Aim: To study the prevalence of extracranial atherosclerosis among patients admitted to a hospital with an ischemic stroke. Material and methods: A prospective study in stroke patients admitted to a Neurology ward in a University Hospital. All were subjected to a CT scan, carotid duplex-Doppler ultrasonographic examination with Doppler measurement of blood flow velocity, permeability and plaques. Cardiac emboli were searched with transthoracic and transesophagic echocardiography. Results: One hundred ten patients (39 women), aged 67.5±11.4 years old were studied. Stroke was atherothrombotic in 46 (41.8%), embolic in 30 (27.3%), lacunar in 27 (24.6%) and of other type in 7 (6.4%). Ninety two patients (84.4%) had high blood pressure, 38% had high cholesterol levels, 35% had a cardiac disease and 26% were smokers. Thirty five subjects (31.8%) had a normal carotid ultrasonography, 46 (41.8%) had mural plaques, 16 (14.5%) had multiple plaques without occlusion, 13 (11.8%) had a partial occlusion and 7 (6,4%) had a total occlusion. Logistic regression analysis disclosed no significant relationship between stroke types and carotid atherosclerosis. Age was the only significant predictor for carotid atherosclerosis. Conclusions: The prevalence of severe carotid atherosclerosis in this group of stroke patients was less than expected (Rev Méd Chile 2001; 129: 161-5).