Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
8131497 | Ultrasound in Medicine & Biology | 2017 | 7 Pages |
Abstract
The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between plaque echo, thickness and neovascularization in different stenosis groups using quantitative and semi-quantitative contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) in patients with carotid atherosclerosis plaque. A total of 224 plaques were divided into mild stenosis (<50%; 135 plaques, 60.27%), moderate stenosis (50%-69%; 39 plaques, 17.41%) and severe stenosis (70%-99%; 50 plaques, 22.32%) groups. Quantitative and semi-quantitative methods were used to assess plaque neovascularization and determine the relationship between plaque echo, thickness and neovascularization. Correlation analysis revealed no relationship of neovascularization with plaque echo in the groups using either quantitative or semi-quantitative methods. Furthermore, there was no correlation of neovascularization with plaque thickness using the semi-quantitative method. The ratio of areas under the curve (RAUC) was negatively correlated with plaque thickness (râ=ââ0.317, pâ=â0.001) in the mild stenosis group. With the quartile method, plaque thickness of the mild stenosis group was divided into four groups, with significant differences between the 1.5-2.2âmm and â¥3.5âmm groups (pâ=â0.002), 2.3-2.8âmm and â¥3.5âmm groups (pâ<0.001) and 2.9-3.4âmm and â¥3.5âmm groups (pâ<0.001). Both semi-quantitative and quantitative CEUS methods characterizing neovascularization of plaque are equivalent with respect to assessing relationships between neovascularization, echogenicity and thickness. However, the quantitative method could fail for plaque <3.5âmm because of motion artifacts.
Related Topics
Physical Sciences and Engineering
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Acoustics and Ultrasonics
Authors
Yan Song, Jun Feng, Ying Dang, Chao Zhao, Jie Zheng, Litao Ruan,