Cardiovasc Intervent Radiol
Imaging of the Carotid Artery Vulnerable Plaque; Saba L, Anzidei M, Marincola B, Piga M, Raz E, Bassareo P, Napoli A, Mannelli L, Catalano C, Wintermark M; Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiology (Aug 2013)
The degree of stenosis typically has been considered the parameter of choice to determine the therapeutical approach, but several recently published investigations have demonstrated that the degree of luminal stenosis is only an indirect indicator of the atherosclerotic process and that direct assessment of the plaque structure and composition may be key to predict the development of future cerebrovascular ischemic events. The purpose of this review is to describe the imaging characteristics of 'vulnerable carotid plaques.'