Prognostic value of plaque burden on computed tomography angiography in patients with symptomatic carotid artery disease.

Key Points

• To determine the prognostic value of plaque burden measured by computed tomography angiography (CTA) in symptomatic carotid artery disease patients.
• Patients with symptomatic carotid artery disease were assessed using computed tomography angiography (CTA).
• Plaque burden was quantified and related to the risk of recurrent ipsilateral stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA).
• Analysis focused on patients with less than 70% carotid stenosis.
• Higher plaque burden on CTA independently predicted recurrence of ipsilateral stroke or TIA.
• The study highlights the importance of plaque burden even in cases of less than 70% carotid stenosis.