The application of ultrasound B-flow imaging in detection of carotid atherosclerotic micro-vessel with ischemic cerebrovascular disease.

Objective: To investigate the detection and characterization of micro-vessels within the carotid atherosclerotic plaque using B-flow imaging (BFI) ultrasound with contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEU) as the reference standard.

Methods: Between August 2008 and July 2011, 78 patients with carotid atherosclerosis that were admitted at the Department of Ultrasonography in ZhongNan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China underwent standard and BFI examination. Fifty-one patients received both BFI and CEU.