Carotid Duplex Ultrasound Can Effectively Detect Ulcerative Plaques: A Single Center Exploratory Study.

Purpose: Vulnerable plaque is closely associated with the occurrence of ischemic stroke. Our study aims to evaluate the diagnostic efficiency of carotid duplex ultrasound (CDU) in assessing vulnerability and vulnerability-related components of carotid plaques.

Methods: We retrospectively and consecutively enrolled 127 patients and used high resolution magnetic resonance imaging (HRMRI) as the non-invasive "gold standard" based on CDU examinations, using vulnerable scores to assess the nature of plaques and comparing the results.

Results: CDU and HRMRI have highly consistent results in assessing the nature of carotid plaques and the degree of carotid artery stenosis. With the increase in the degree of stenosis, the consistency between the two methods in evaluating the severity of stenosis is further enhanced. Notably, CDU and HRMRI demonstrate a particularly high level of agreement in characterizing the nature of carotid plaques, especially ulcerative plaques.

Conclusion: The results indicate that CDU is an effective and non-invasive method for assessing the vulnerability of atherosclerotic plaques, particularly ulcerative plaques in real time. This provides a basis for stratified management and individualized diagnosis and treatment of patients.