Saba Luca, Anzidei Michele, Marincola Beatrice Cavallo, Piga Mario, Raz Eytan, Bassareo Pier Paolo, Napoli Alessandro, Mannelli Lorenzo, Catalano Carlo, Wintermark Max
Department of Radiology, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria (A.O.U.), di Cagliari - Polo di Monserrato, s.s. 554, 09045, Monserrato, Cagliari, Italy,
Cardiovasc Intervent Radiol. 2014 Jun;37(3):572-85. doi: 10.1007/s00270-013-0711-2. Epub 2013 Aug 3.
Atherosclerosis involving the carotid arteries has a high prevalence in the population worldwide. This condition is significant because accidents of the carotid artery plaque are associated with the development of cerebrovascular events. For this reason, carotid atherosclerotic disease needs to be diagnosed and those determinants that are associated to an increased risk of stroke need to be identified. 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 concept of "vulnerable plaque" was born, referring to those plaque's parameters that concur to the instability of the plaque making it more prone to the rupture and distal embolization. The purpose of this review is to describe the imaging characteristics of "vulnerable carotid plaques."
全球范围内，累及颈动脉的动脉粥样硬化在人群中具有很高的患病率。这种情况很重要，因为颈动脉斑块意外事件与脑血管事件的发生有关。因此，需要诊断颈动脉粥样硬化疾病，并识别与中风风险增加相关的决定因素。狭窄程度通常被认为是确定治疗方法的首选参数，但最近发表的几项研究表明，管腔狭窄程度只是动脉粥样硬化过程的一个间接指标，而直接评估斑块结构和成分可能是预测未来脑血管缺血事件发生的关键。“易损斑块”的概念由此产生，指的是那些促使斑块不稳定、使其更容易破裂和远端栓塞的斑块参数。本综述的目的是描述“易损颈动脉斑块”的影像学特征。
