BACKGROUND Carotid plaque characteristics influence future risk of stroke considerably. However, the severity of stenosis does not accurately reflect plaque burden in patients with expansive arterial remodeling. OBJECTIVE To determine the therapeutic outcome of symptomatic carotid low-grade stenosis with vulnerable plaque based on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) characterization. METHODS W...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Carotid artery intima-media thickness (IMT) and plaque are noninvasive markers of subclinical arterial injury that predict incident cardiovascular disease. We evaluated predictors of longitudinal changes in IMT and new plaque during a decade in a longitudinal multiethnic cohort. METHODS Carotid IMT and plaque were evaluated in Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA...

PURPOSE To determine the correlation between the degree of plaque enhancement with contrast agent microbubbles and clinical symptoms in patients with carotid atherosclerotic plaque. MATERIALS AND METHODS The study was approved by the hospital ethical committee, and informed consent was obtained from all patients. One hundred four patients (83 men: mean age, 64 years +/- 9 [standard deviation]...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The likelihood that carotid plaque will give rise to cerebral ischemia probably relates to the degree of arterial stenosis and to plaque morphology. The aim of this study was to assess whether features seen at CT angiography might be used to predict carotid plaque stability by comparing CT angiograms with histopathologic examinations of the carotid artery bifurcation. M...

BACKGROUND Because many acute cerebral ischemic events are caused by rupture of vulnerable carotid atheroma and subsequent thrombosis, the present study used both idealized and patient-specific carotid atheromatous plaque models to evaluate the effect of structural determinants on stress distributions within plaque. METHODS AND RESULTS Using a finite element method, structural analysis was pe...

Measurement of plaque burden is different from measurement of carotid intima-media thickness (IMT). Carotid total plaque area is a stronger predictor of cardiovascular risk than IMT, and in contrast to progression of IMT, which does not predict cardiovascular events, progression of total plaque area and total plaque volume strongly predict cardiovascular events. Measurement of plaque burden is ...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Symptomatic carotid artery plaque ulceration is associated with distinct plaque components such as a large lipid-rich necrotic core (LR-NC) in ischemic stroke patients with a ≥50% carotid stenosis. We evaluated the associations between carotid artery plaque ulceration and plaque characteristics in ischemic stroke patients with ≥50% stenosis, as well as in those with a low...

Blunt traumatic occlusion or stenosis of the internal carotid artery is a rare complication of whiplash injury and may not be recognized until the onset of neurological symptoms. The clinical course can vary considerably, with regard to both the symptoms and the interval between injury and manifestation. A dissecting aneurysm and intimal tear are usually observed after blunt internal carotid ar...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Calcified arterial plaque has been proposed as a subclinical marker of atherosclerosis. We compared it to a well-validated surrogate--carotid intimal medial thickness (IMT). METHODS Calcified arterial plaque was measured in 2 vascular beds (coronary and carotid) by computed tomography, and common carotid artery IMT was measured by B-mode ultrasonography, in 438 particip...

BACKGROUND/AIM A certain percentage of patients with asymptomatic carotid stenosis have an unstable carotid plaque. For these patients it is possible to register the existence of lesions of the brain parenchyma - the silent brain infarction. These patients have a greater risk of ischemic stroke by modern imaging methods. The aim of this study was to analyze the connection between the morphology...