title: Sonographic characteristics of carotid artery plaques: Implications for follow-up planning?
abstract: The aim of our study was to analyze the ultrasound characteristics of carotid plaques in an outpatient population and to determine their implications for planning the ultrasound follow-up.
  
  
  METHODS
  We studied 747 consecutive outpatients (397 [53%] of whom were women) who underwent color Doppler sonography of the carotid arteries. Most of the patients presented multiple cardiovascular risk factors or were being followed-up for carotid artery stenosis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Stenosis ranging from 1% to 69% was observed at the level of the right internal carotid arteries (ICA) in 419 (56.1%) of the 747 patients and in the left ICA in 408 of 747 (54.5%). One hundred twenty-four (29.5%) of the 419 RICA plaques and 77 (18.8%) of the 408 LICA plaques were classified as type 1 or type 2 according to the modified Gray-Weale classification.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Type 1 and type 2 plaques, which are referred to as "vulnerable plaques," were found in 160 (21.4%) of the 747 patients we examined. These patients should be subjected to closer ultrasound follow-up, even if they have only moderate carotid artery stenosis.
authors: Specialist Outpatient Clinic for Clinical and Vascular Sonography, Bolzano Healh District, Bolzano, Italy.
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Casadei
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Floreani
authors: R
authors: R
authors: Catalini
authors: C
authors: C
authors: Serra
authors: A P
authors: AP
authors: Assanti
authors: P
authors: P
authors: Conci
keywords: Carotid arteries (CA); Carotid plaques; Color-Doppler ultrasound (CDUS); Echolucent plaques; Intima-media thickness (IMT)