title: Changes in carotid plaque echogenicity with time since the stroke onset: an early marker of plaque remodeling?
abstract: Carotid plaques undergo histologic changes early after an ischemic stroke. However, the evolution of carotid plaques echolucency after a recent brain ischemia is not well known. A prospective observational study that included consecutive stroke patients and asymptomatic individuals with plaques showing ≥50% stenosis on duplex ultrasound was conducted. Plaque echogenicity was measured with the standardized gray-scale median (GSM) and compared with respect to symptoms presence and time from stroke onset. One hundred twenty-six carotid plaques in 124 patients were studied and four groups of plaques were analyzed: (1) plaques seen within 24 h of stroke onset (32); (2) between 1-7 days (50); (3) more than 7 days after stroke onset (22) and; (4) plaques without associated symptoms (22). Plaques of group 1 had less echogenicity than those of groups 2-4: median GSM (interquartile range) 14 (16), 19.5 (19), 22.5 (21), 26.5 (16) respectively (p = 0.001). In conclusion, carotid plaque echogenicity is increased with time from stroke onset and could be an early marker of plaque remodeling.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and Stroke Center, La Paz University Hospital, Autonoma de Madrid University, IdiPAZ Research Institute, Madrid, Spain. patrindalo@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Martínez-Sánchez
authors.forename: Jessica
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fernández-Domínguez
authors.forename: Gerardo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ruiz-Ares
authors.forename: Blanca
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Fuentes
authors.forename: Andrei V
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Alexandrov
authors.forename: Exuperio
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Díez-Tejedor
mesh_terms: D016893:Carotid Stenosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000379:methods; D012307:Risk Factors; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology; D020521:Stroke / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D014463:Ultrasonography / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*