October 1, 1993British journal of surgery
Characterization of symptomatic and asymptomatic carotid plaques using high-resolution real-time ultrasonography
Authors
Discussion
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Implication
Observational study reveals a preponderance of echolucent plaques in symptomatic carotid stenosis, suggesting these lesions are unstable and prone to embolization.
Key Points
- To evaluate and categorize carotid plaque ultrasound characteristics in patients with severe internal carotid artery stenosis presenting with or without neurologic symptoms.
- Evaluated carotid plaque features using high-resolution real-time ultrasonography in 72 symptomatic patients (72 plaques) and 49 asymptomatic patients (75 plaques) with >70% internal carotid artery stenosis.
- Categorized plaques into five ultrasonic grades: type 1 (uniformly echolucent), type 2 (predominantly echolucent), type 3 (predominantly echogenic), type 4 (uniformly echogenic), and type 5 (unclassifiable due to heavy calcification and acoustic shadows).
- Type 1 (uniformly echolucent) plaques were present in 90% of symptomatic patients versus 10% of asymptomatic patients, while type 2 plaques occurred in 53% and 47%, respectively.
- Type 3 plaques occurred in 34% of symptomatic versus 66% of asymptomatic patients, and type 4 (uniformly echogenic) plaques occurred in 5% versus 95%, respectively.
Cite This Study
Geroulakos et al. (1993) studied this question.