Approach To Unstable Plaque In Carotid Disease

Abstract

Risk of cerebral infarction due to thrombo emboli originating from carotid artery disease estimated to be near 15%, and this risk is closely associated with the severity of luminal stenosis. But at the same time characteristics of the plaque should be taken into account for therapeutic planning when the patient is asymptomatic and the diameter of the stenosis does not reach the threshold of 70%. Search for markers of plaque vulnerability, instability, or thromboembolic potential as complementary to the degree of the luminal stenosis in stroke risk prediction should be considered .These morphologic features of carotid plaques are increasingly believed to be one of those markers that could carry further prognostic information, and early recognition of these plaques features may identify a high-risk subgroup of patients who might particularly benefit from aggressive interventions with aggressive medical treatment.Color and duplex Doppler sonography evaluates both morphologic and hemodynamic abnormalitie of carotid. Echogensity, degree of stenosis and plaque surface features are essential parameters of morphological abnormality.