Abstract
The emergence and integration of nonconventional ultrasound applications into the vascular diagnostic armamentarium offers the opportunity for answering a long-standing question about the morphological makeup of focal carotid atherosclerotic lesions, that is, is this particular plaque vulnerable or not? Vulnerable lesions are those which, based on their histological and morphological features, predispose a patient to an increased risk of a cerebral ischemic event (CIE) secondary to plaque or thrombus embolization. The ability to reliably differentiate plaque types using readily available noninvasive imaging methods facilitates risk stratification in both symptomatic and asymptomatic patients. Improved identification of at-risk lesions makes more targeted patient management and/or interventional decisions possible. Three emerging ultrasound applications that have demonstrated efficacy in offering this enhanced diagnostic capability are point shear wave elastography (pSWE), contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS), and microvascular ultrasound imaging (MUI).
Published Version
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