Authors:
Georgios Benetos
1
;
Konstantinos Toutouzas
1
;
Haralampos Grassos
1
;
Maria Drakopoulou
1
;
Charalampia Nikolaou
1
;
Ioannis Felekos
1
;
Constantina Aggeli
1
;
Eleftherios Tsiamis
1
;
Elias Siores
2
and
Christodoulos Stefanadis
1
Affiliations:
1
Athens School of Medicine, Greece
;
2
University of Bolton, United Kingdom
Keyword(s):
Microwave Radiometry, Inflammation, Carotid Artery, Atherosclerosis.
Related
Ontology
Subjects/Areas/Topics:
Cardiovascular Imaging and Cardiography
;
Cardiovascular Technologies
;
Echocardiography (3D, Intravascular Ultrasound, etc)
;
Health Engineering and Technology Applications
Abstract:
Purpose: Both plaque angiogenesis and inflammation contribute to the development and progression of atherosclerosis. Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) allows direct visualization of the adventitia vasa vasorum. Microwave Radiometry (MWR) is a special technology, which quantifies internal temperature of tissues, reflecting their inflammatory status. In the present study we aimed to evaluate in human carotid arteries, whether atherosclerotic plaque temperature, measured by MWR, is associated with plaque neovascularization assessed by CEUS. Methods: For this purpose, 48 consecutive patients with significant coronary artery disease and carotid plaques in at least one carotid were included in the analysis .All patients underwent basic ultrasound carotid imaging, neovascularization evaluation through CEUS and temperature measurements through MWR. Results: Plaques with vulnerable characteristics showed both higher temperatures and contrast uptake. There was a positive correlation between
temperature and CEUS measurements. Conclusions: In vivo non-invasive assessment of the functional characteristics of carotid artery atherosclerotic plaques is feasible, promising and may serve as an additional screening tool to identify ‘high risk’ patients for future cerebrovascular events.
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