Journal «Angiology and Vascular Surgery» • 

2018 • VOLUME 24 • №4

Relation between ultrasonographic and morphological characteristics of atherosclerotic plaques of carotid sinus

Medvedev R.B.1, Tanashyan M.M.1, Skrylev S.I.1, Gemdzhian E.G.2, Gulevskaya T.S.1, Anufriev P.L.1

1) Research Centre of Neurology,
2) National Research Center for Hematology, Moscow, Russia

The authors revealed relation between the structure of an atherosclerotic plaque (ASP) and intensity of the ultrasound signal reflected form the ASP. Our prospective pilot study included a total of 90 patients (71 men and 19 women aged from 47 to 79 years, with the median age 62 years) presenting with atherosclerotic stenosis of the carotid sinus (CS) and undergoing treatment at the Research Centre of Neurology (Moscow) from April 2015 to March 2016. All patients underwent ultrasonographic examination followed by morphological study of the structure of the plaques removed during carotid endarterectomy (CEA). It was revealed that intensity of the ultrasound signal from an ASP depended on the morphological structure of the ASP components: the foci of atheromatosis were associated with an ultrasound range of 1.1-5.6 dB, those of fibrosis – with the range 23.1-30.5 dB, and those of calcinosis – with the range 42.3-44.7 dB (presented are the values from the 15th to 85th percentiles). It was determined that an increase of intensity of the ultrasound signal reflected from the foci of atheromatosis and fibrosis in the ASP was associated with the presence of small calcificates therein, and a decrease of intensity of the ultrasound signal from the portions of fibrosis in the ASP – with large accumulation of lipophages or newly formed vessels in these portions.

KEY WORDS: atherosclerosis, atherosclerotic plaque, carotid sinus stenosis, ultrasound signal intensity, endarterectomy, plaque morphology.

P. 49

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