Assessment of plaque vulnerability in carotid atherosclerotic plaques using contrast-enhanced ultrasound.

Autor: Jain NK; Senior Adviser (Radiology) Command Hospital (WC), Chandimandir, India., Singh G; Consultant & HOD (Radiology), Army Hospital (R&R), Delhi Cantt, India., Muralidharan CG; Commandant, Military Hospital, Chennai, India., Gupta A; Senior Adviser (Medicine & Neurology), INHS, Kalyani, India., Chatterjee S; Commandant, Military Hospital Shillong, India., Rajesh U; Associate Professor, Department of Radiology, Armed Forces Medical College, Pune, India.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Medical journal, Armed Forces India [Med J Armed Forces India] 2022 Oct; Vol. 78 (4), pp. 422-429. Date of Electronic Publication: 2020 Dec 16.
DOI: 10.1016/j.mjafi.2020.09.013
Abstrakt: Background: Atherosclerotic carotid plaques are one of the most important causes of stroke. Apart from the severity of stenosis, there are certain plaque characteristics such as neovascularization and, surface ulceration which makes a plaque vulnerable. This study was performed to study the plaque characteristics using contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) and evaluate their association with presence of ischemic cerebrovascular symptoms in these patients.
Methods: This study included patients presenting at a tertiary care center, having carotid plaques causing >60% stenosis. CEUS was performed for assessment of intraplaque neovascularity and plaque surface characteristics. These plaque features were then evaluated for their association with presence of ischemic cerebrovascular symptoms in patients.
Results: Sixty plaques were studied in 50 patients. Thirty-two plaques were associated with ischemic cerebrovascular symptoms. On CEUS, intraplaque neovascularization was seen in 38 of the 60 plaques studied (63.3%). There was statistically significant association of intraplaque neovascularity and plaque surface characteristics with presence of ischemic cerebrovascular symptoms.
Conclusion: CEUS allows better characterization of plaque surface characteristics and also depicts plaque neovascularization, which helps in determining the plaque vulnerability. It should be used as an adjunct to ultrasound and doppler assessment of carotid plaques.
Competing Interests: The authors have none to declare.
(© 2020 Director General, Armed Forces Medical Services. Published by Elsevier, a division of RELX India Pvt. Ltd.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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