J Cardiovasc Ultrasound.  2016 Jun;24(2):91-95. 10.4250/jcu.2016.24.2.91.

Evaluation of Carotid Plaque Using Ultrasound Imaging

Affiliations
  • 1Department of Cardiology, Dong-A University College of Medicine, Busan, Korea. thpark65@dau.ac.kr

Abstract

Traditional risk factors for predicting of cardiovascular disease are not always effective predictors for development of cardiovascular events. This review summarizes several newly developed noninvasive imaging techniques for evaluating carotid plaques and their role in cardiovascular disease risk.

Keyword

Atherosclerosis; Carotid plaque; Cardiovascular risk

MeSH Terms

Atherosclerosis
Cardiovascular Diseases
Risk Factors
Ultrasonography*

Figure

  • Fig. 1 Carotid ultrasound showed carotid plaques in two patients, one patient has an asymptomatic single plaque with low cardiovascular risk (A), and the other patient has multiple complex plaques with recent stroke (B). The image (A) shows a small amount of smooth homogenous plaque (arrow) located on the far wall of the proximal CCA. In contrast, the image (B) demonstrates moderate to large amount of heterogeneous multiple plaques (arrows) with focal calcification and irregular surface, in mid CCA. CCA: common carotid artery.


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