The utility of ultrasound and computed tomography in the assessment of carotid artery plaque vulnerability–A mini review

Figures

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  FIGURE 1. Diagrammatic representations and MDCTA images illustrating the classification of carotid plaques based on their surface morphology as smooth (a), irregular (b) and ulcerated (c) (Content copied in its original form from reference (19) under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License).

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  FIGURE 2. Contrast-enhanced carotid ultrasound for the detection of plaque neovascularization. Content copied in its original form from Mantella et al. with permission (42). Carotid intraplaque neovascularization scoring method. Representative contrast-enhanced ultrasound images of carotid plaques. (A) demonstrates a plaque score of 0, no visible microbubbles within the plaque; (B) demonstrates a plaque score of 1, minimal microbubbles confined to peri-adventitial area; (C) demonstrates a plaque score of 2, microbubbles present throughout the plaque core. The yellow dotted line outlines the plaque lesion. Yellow circles depict intraplaque contrast microbubbles.

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  FIGURE 3. Features assessed in the qualitative analysis of plaque vulnerability.