title: Advantages and pitfalls of three-dimensional ultrasound imaging of carotid bifurcation.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Several specialists use three-dimensional (3D) ultrasound as adjuvant imaging technique in their clinical practice. It has been applied to study carotid plaque morphology, surface and volume during atherosclerosis progression. Nonetheless, no papers have so far described the use of this technique in conditions different than carotid stenosis, such as bifurcation anatomy changes of the caliber and vessel course modifications.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients admitted to our ultrasound laboratory for vascular screening were submitted to standard carotid duplex and to 3D ultrasound reconstruction of the carotid bifurcation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Forty normal subjects, 7 patients with caliber alterations (4 carotid bulb ectasia and 3 internal carotid lumen narrowing), 45 patients with course variations (tortuosities and kinking) and 35 patients with internal carotid artery stenosis of various degrees have been investigated.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  3D ultrasound is a feasible technique. It can improve carotid axis imaging through a better presentation of caliber variations and vessel course 'at a glance'. 3D ultrasound from the inward flow can provide imaging of the stenosis, but stenosis quantification should always take into account the assessment of plaque morphology and vessel wall.
authors.affiliation: Stroke Unit, Department of Neurology and Psychiatry, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy. edoardo.vicenzini@uniroma1.it
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Vicenzini
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Galloni
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Ricciardi
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pro
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sirimarco
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pulitano
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Mecarelli
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Di Piero
authors.forename: G L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Lenzi
mesh_terms: D002340:Carotid Artery Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D002343:Carotid Artery, Internal / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional; D008297:Male; D010363:Pattern Recognition, Automated / Q000379:methods; D018608:Ultrasonography, Doppler