From the Department of Radiology (H.B.), University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah
Department of Radiology (A.G.), Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York.
AJNR Am J Neuroradiol. 2020 Mar;41(3):380-386. doi: 10.3174/ajnr.A6403. Epub 2020 Feb 6.
Vessel wall imaging has been increasingly used to characterize plaque beyond luminal narrowing to identify patients who may be at the highest risk of cerebrovascular ischemia. Although detailed plaque information can be obtained from many imaging modalities, CTA is particularly appealing for carotid plaque imaging due to its relatively low cost, wide availability, operator independence, and ability to discern high-risk features. The present Review Article describes the current understanding of plaque characteristics on CTA by describing commonly encountered plaque features, including calcified and soft plaque, surface irregularities, neovascularization, and inflammation. The goal of this Review Article was to provide a more robust understanding of clinically relevant plaque features detectable on routine CTA of the carotid arteries.
血管壁成像技术已越来越多地用于描述管腔狭窄以外的斑块特征，以识别那些可能存在最高脑血管缺血风险的患者。虽然许多成像方式都可以提供详细的斑块信息，但 CTA 特别适用于颈动脉斑块成像，因为它具有相对较低的成本、广泛的可用性、操作人员独立性以及识别高危特征的能力。本文综述通过描述常见的斑块特征，包括钙化斑块和软斑块、表面不规则、新生血管形成和炎症，描述了 CTA 上当前对斑块特征的认识。本文的目的是提供对颈动脉常规 CTA 上可检测到的临床相关斑块特征的更深入了解。
