Ultrasound Measurements May Stratify Stroke Risk with Asymptomatic Carotid Stenosis

Two measurements — embolic signal and plaque echolucency — helped stratify stroke risk; a combination of the measurements increased predictive ability.

Current medical therapy has altered the risk- and cost-benefit ratios for revascularization of asymptomatic carotid stenosis (ACS). Therefore, methods are needed to better identify individuals with ACS who are at high risk for ischemic events and who may benefit most from a revascularization procedure. Recent findings from the prospective, multicenter, observational Asymptomatic Carotid Emboli Study (ACES) suggest that transcranial Doppler ultrasound (TCD) to detect carotid artery microembolization (embolic signal; ES) could be a risk-stratification tool for these patients. Now, the ACES investigators have evaluated whether combining measurement of ES in the ipsilateral middle cerebral artery on TCD with simple visualization of echolucent p…

Reviewing Author

Bruce Ovbiagele, MD, MS

Ultrasound Measurements May Stratify Stroke Risk with Asymptomatic Carotid Stenosis

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Reviewing Author