[Possibilities of instrumental methods of diagnosis of unstable atherosclerotic plaques of carotid arteries].

Today there exists a wide variety of laboratory and instrumental methods aimed at diagnosing an unstable carotid aortosclerotic plaque. Assessment of the laboratory indices is not sufficiently effective since it does not allow of revealing the fact of the formation of an unstable plague at early stages and to determine its localization. The instrumental methods employed (ultrasonographic study, magnetic resonance imaging, multiplanar computed tomography, positron emission tomography) were focussed on detecting pathomorphological markers of instability - thickness of the fibrous coating, structural plaques, the presence of erosions, ulcerations, haemorrhages, calcifications, lipid nucleus, activity of the cellular processes inside the plaque.

[Comparison of morphological features of carotid arteries atherosclerotic plaques with clinical-instrumental data in symptomatic and asymptomatic patients with severe carotid atherosclerosis].

A complex histomorphometric and clinical-instrumental analysis of atherosclerotic lesions of the carotid arteries obtained during carotid endarterectomies (CEE) of patients with hemodynamically significant stenoses was conducted. Two groups of patients were compared: symptomatic, which earlier underwent cerebral vascular accident (CVA) or transitory ischemic attacks (TIA), and asymptomatic ones with no complications of the disease. Statistical analysis of clinical and laboratory data showed no significant differences between two groups except for the level of lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] in the blood plasma, which was higher (p<0.

[Comparative characteristics of the possibilities of imaging techniques (magnetic resonance imaging and 3D ultrasound study) in the qualitative estimation of atherosclerotic plaque volume].

Objective: To estimate the possibilities of using three-dimensional ultrasound study (3D USS) in the diagnosis of the sizes and structure of an atherosclerotic plaque (ASP).

Material And Methods: The data obtained by examination of 20 heterogeneous ASPs in the carotid artery wall, by applying 3D USS and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), were compared. Intra- and interoperator reproducibilities were assessed by the Bland-Altman method; the volume of each plague was measured by two (contour and ellipse) methods.