Do specific carotid plaque features on CTA (intraluminal thrombus, soft plaque thickness, rim sign) better discriminate stroke sources compared to carotid stenosis alone?
Alternative CTA markers of vulnerable carotid plaque, such as intraluminal thrombus, maximum soft plaque thickness, and the rim sign, may better diagnose stroke sources and guide treatment decisions than relying solely on carotid stenosis.
<0.001). Conclusions Optimal discrimination of ipsilateral carotid sources of stroke requires information on intraluminal thrombus, maximum soft plaque thickness, and the rim sign. These results argue against the sole use of carotid stenosis to determine stroke sources on CTA, and instead suggest these alternative markers may better diagnose vulnerable carotid plaque and guide treatment decisions.
Baradaran et al. (Mon,) studied this question.