Contrast Imaging Ultrasound for the Detection and Characterization of Carotid Vulnerable Plaque

Overview

Journal Cardiovasc Diagn Ther

Publisher AME Publishing Company

Specialty Cardiology & Vascular Diseases

Date 2020 Sep 24

PMID 32968654

Citations 17

Authors

Vasileios Rafailidis

Xin Li

Paul S Sidhu

Sasan Partovi

Daniel Staub

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Not only the degree of luminal narrowing but also the plaque morphology and composition play an important role in risk stratification of carotid atherosclerotic lesions. During the last few years, carotid contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) has emerged as a valuable imaging tool to assess such vulnerable carotid plaques. This review article discussed the use of CEUS for the detection of carotid plaque irregularities and ulcerations as well as the quantification of intraplaque neovascularization and its correlation with histology and inflammatory biomarkers. Apart from evaluating for markers of vulnerable carotid plaques, CEUS enhancement is directly associated with past cerebrovascular events. More importantly, preliminary evidence has shown that CEUS could be used to predict future cerebrovascular and cardiovascular events. Despite the progress in CEUS imaging for carotid atherosclerotic disease, past studies still suffer from the retrospective nature, small sample size, and a lack of matched, well controlled prospective studies. In the future, large multi-center prospective studies addressing the relationship between CEUS findings and patient clinical outcomes in carotid atherosclerotic disease are warranted.

Citing Articles

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