Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound Feasibility in Assessing Carotid Plaque Vulnerability-Narrative Review

Overview

Journal J Clin Med

Specialty General Medicine

Date 2023 Oct 14

PMID 37835061

Authors

Ewa Kopyto

Marcin Czeczelewski

Eryk Mikos

Karol Stepniak

Maja Kopyto

Malgorzata Matuszek

Karolina Nieoczym

Adam Czarnecki

Maryla Kuczynska

Mateusz Cheda

Anna Drelich-Zbroja

Tomasz Jargiello

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The risk assessment for carotid atherosclerotic lesions involves not only determining the degree of stenosis but also plaque morphology and its composition. Recently, carotid contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) has gained importance for evaluating vulnerable plaques. This review explores CEUS's utility in detecting carotid plaque surface irregularities and ulcerations as well as intraplaque neovascularization and its alignment with histology. Initial indications suggest that CEUS might have the potential to anticipate cerebrovascular incidents. Nevertheless, there is a need for extensive, multicenter prospective studies that explore the relationships between CEUS observations and patient clinical outcomes in cases of carotid atherosclerotic disease.

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