Evaluation of carotid plaque ulceration with 256-slice CT angiography

Objective To investigate the value of 256-slice CT angiography for assessing plaque ulceration in carotid artery.Methods CTA data of 136 patients with carotid artery atherosclerosis were retrospectively analyzed.The degree of carotid artery stenosis,the positional distribution and composition of the carotid plaque especially the plaque ulceration were studied,and the correlation between plaque ulceration in carotid artery and the symptoms of cerebral ischemia was analyzed.Results Totally 452 carotid atherosclerotic plaques including 78 plaque ulcerations were found in 136 patients,the incidence rate of plaque ulceration was 17.26%(78/452).There were 14 plaque ulcerations located in common carotid artery,32 in carotid artery bifurcation,13 in internal carotid artery and 19 in external carotid artery.The plaque ulcerations included fibrous plaques(n=7),lipid plaques(n=49),calcified plaque(n=3) and mixed plaques(n=19).The plaque ulcerations led to mild,moderate,severe stenosis and blocking of carotid artery were 7,29,34 and 8,respectively.plaque ulceration in carotid artery was statistically associated with symptomatic ischemic events(OR=3.433,P0.01).Conclusion 256-slice CTA is a noninvasive method which can be used to assess the characteristics of plaque ulceration in carotid artery with high application value.