Multimodality imaging techniques such as CTA, high-resolution MRI, and contrast-enhanced ultrasound provide critical information beyond stenosis severity to assess carotid plaque vulnerability.
May support multimodality imaging for carotid plaque assessment; leaves open prospective outcome trials before practice change.
Apart from the degree of stenosis, the morphology of carotid atherosclerotic plaques and presence of neovascularization are important factors that may help to evaluate the risk and 'vulnerability' of plaques and may also influence the choice of treatment. In this article, we aim to describe the techniques and imaging findings on CTA, high resolution MRI and contrast enhanced ultrasound in the evaluation of carotid atherosclerotic plaques. We also discuss a few representative cases from our institute with the related clinical implications.
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Hingwala et al. (2013) studied this question.
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