title: Wall motion in the stenotic carotid artery: association with greyscale plaque characteristics, the degree of stenosis and cerebrovascular symptoms.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Systolic dilation of the atherosclerotic carotid artery depends on several factors including arterial compliance and the haemodynamic environment. The purpose of this study was to quantify wall motion in stenotic carotid arteries and investigate any associations with the ultrasound greyscale plaque characteristics, the degree of stenosis, and the presence of cerebrovascular symptoms.
  
  
  METHODS
  Variations in the lumen diameters of 61 stenotic carotid arteries (stenosis range 10%-95%) from 47 patients were measured before the proximal shoulder of the atherosclerotic plaque using ultrasound image sequences over several cardiac cycles. Absolute and percentage diameter changes from diastole to systole were calculated and their relationship to the degree of stenosis, greyscale plaque characteristics, and the presence of ipsilateral hemispheric symptoms were studied.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean absolute diameter change from diastole to systole was 0.45 mm (s.d. 0.17), and the mean percentage diameter change was 6.9% (s.d. 3.1%). Absolute and percentage diameter changes did not have a statistically significant relationship to the degree of stenosis, greyscale plaque characteristics, or the presence of ipsilateral hemispheric symptoms (p > 0.05). Parameters significantly correlated with the presence of symptoms were the degree of stenosis (p = 0.01), plaque greyscale median (p = 0.02) and the plaque surface irregularity index (p = 0.02).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study confirmed the degree of stenosis, plaque greyscale median and our surface irregularity index were significant predictors of symptoms, but found no significant correlation between diameter changes of stenosed carotid arteries and the presence of ipsilateral hemispheric symptoms.
authors.forename: Baris
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kanber
authors.forename: Timothy C
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Hartshorne
authors.forename: Mark A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Horsfield
authors.forename: Andrew R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Naylor
authors.forename: Thompson G
authors.initials: TG
authors.lastname: Robinson
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Physics, University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, Leicester, LE1 5WW UK. kumar.ramnarine@uhl-tr.nhs.uk.
authors.forename: Kumar V
authors.initials: KV
authors.lastname: Ramnarine
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000465:Algorithms; D016893:Carotid Stenosis / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002561:Cerebrovascular Disorders / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004452:Echocardiography / Q000379:methods*; D055119:Elastic Modulus; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009038:Motion; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D014655:Vascular Resistance