Dataset Information

Sonographic characteristics of carotid artery plaques: Implications for follow-up planning?

ABSTRACT:

Unlabelled

The aim of our study was to analyze the ultrasound characteristics of carotid plaques in an outpatient population and to determine their implications for planning the ultrasound follow-up.

Materials and methods

We studied 747 consecutive outpatients (397 [53%] of whom were women) who underwent color Doppler sonography of the carotid arteries. Most of the patients presented multiple cardiovascular risk factors or were being followed-up for carotid artery stenosis.

Results

Stenosis ranging from 1% to 69% was observed at the level of the right internal carotid arteries (ICA) in 419 (56.1%) of the 747 patients and in the left ICA in 408 of 747 (54.5%). One hundred twenty-four (29.5%) of the 419 RICA plaques and 77 (18.8%) of the 408 LICA plaques were classified as type 1 or type 2 according to the modified Gray-Weale classification.

Conclusions

Type 1 and type 2 plaques, which are referred to as "vulnerable plaques," were found in 160 (21.4%) of the 747 patients we examined. These patients should be subjected to closer ultrasound follow-up, even if they have only moderate carotid artery stenosis.

SUBMITTER: Casadei A

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3565685 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Sonographic characteristics of carotid artery plaques: Implications for follow-up planning?

Casadei A A Floreani M M Catalini R R Serra C C Assanti A P AP Conci P P

Journal of ultrasound 20120623 3

<h4>Unlabelled</h4>The aim of our study was to analyze the ultrasound characteristics of carotid plaques in an outpatient population and to determine their implications for planning the ultrasound follow-up.<h4>Materials and methods</h4>We studied 747 consecutive outpatients (397 [53%] of whom were women) who underwent color Doppler sonography of the carotid arteries. Most of the patients presented multiple cardiovascular risk factors or were being followed-up for carotid artery stenosis.<h4>Res ...[more]

PMID: 23458826

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Project description:Background and purposeCarotid artery stenting (CAS) is emerging as an alternative to carotid endarterectomy for the treatment of carotid artery stenosis (CS), but the effect of CAS on the cognitive function of patients with severe CS has not been fully investigated. The aim of this study was to use comprehensive neuropsychological tests to determine the effect of CAS on cognitive function from baseline to 3 months postprocedure in patients with severe CS.MethodsThirty-one patients due to undergo CAS due to high-grade CS (?70%) and 11 control subjects who were diagnosed with CS, but who did not undergo CAS, and who visited the clinic or emergency room between February 2009 and February 2012 were recruited consecutively at baseline (i.e., pre-CAS). Follow-up neuropsychological evaluations after 3 months were completed by 23 of the 31 patients who underwent CAS, and by 10 of the 11 control subjects. The primary cognitive outcome was assessed using a neuropsychological test containing subcategories designed to test general cognitive function, attention, visuospatial function, language and related functions, memory, and frontal lobe/executive function.ResultsOf the 23 patients undergoing CAS who completed the 3-month follow-up tests, 12 had asymptomatic CS. During the 3-month follow-up period, the patients who underwent CAS and those with asymptomatic CS achieved similar results to the control group on all cognitive tests. However, symptomatic CS patients (n=11) who underwent CAS exhibited improvements in visuospatial function (p=0.046) and total Seoul Neuropsychological Screening Battery-Dementia Version scores (p=0.010) in comparison with both the asymptomatic CS patients and the control group.ConclusionsThe findings of this study suggest that CAS has a positive effect on cognitive function in patients with symptomatic CS over a 3-month follow-up period. A long-term, multicenter, prospective case-control study would be helpful to predict quality of life and prognoses for patients undergoing CAS.

Dataset Information

Sonographic characteristics of carotid artery plaques: Implications for follow-up planning?

Unlabelled

Materials and methods

Results

Conclusions

Publications

Sonographic characteristics of carotid artery plaques: Implications for follow-up planning?

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