Findings were comparable with these modalities; complex aortic arch plaque was found frequently.
In patients with stroke, several studies have shown aortic arch plaque to be associated with excess risk for recurrent stroke. Both transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) and computed tomography (CT) can visualize aortic plaque, although TEE is considered to be more sensitive for intracardiac sources of embolism. In this prospective study from Korea, researchers identified 548 consecutive patients hospitalized with ischemic stroke and performed both TEE and a specific cardiac CT protocol in 374 patients.
Both CT and TEE identified six patients with cardiac thrombus, one patient with cardiac tumor, and three patients with valvular vegetations. Aortic plaque was identified by CT in 74% of patients and by TEE in 67% (). Among patients wit…