Non-invasive in vivo characterization of human carotid plaques with acoustic radiation force impulse ultrasound: comparison with histology after endarterectomy.

ABSTRACT: Ischemic stroke from thromboembolic sources is linked to carotid artery atherosclerotic disease with a trend toward medical management in asymptomatic patients. Extent of disease is currently diagnosed by non-invasive imaging techniques that measure luminal stenosis, but it has been suggested that a better biomarker for determining risk of future thromboembolic events is plaque morphology and composition. Specifically, plaques that are composed of mechanically soft lipid/necrotic regions covered by thin fibrous caps are the most vulnerable to rupture. An ultrasound technique that non-invasively interrogates the mechanical properties of soft tissue, called acoustic radiation force impulse (ARFI) imaging, has been developed as a new modality for atherosclerotic plaque characterization using

SUBMITTER: Czernuszewicz TJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4331250 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature