Effectiveness of an individualized home-based physical activity program in surgery-free non-endarterectomized asymptomatic stroke patients: a study protocol for the PACAPh interventional randomized trial.

Background: Carotid atherosclerotic plaques remain silent until their rupture, which may lead to detrimental ischemic events such as strokes. This is due, in part, to intraplaque hemorrhages (IPH) and the resulting inflammatory processes, which may promote carotid plaque vulnerability. Currently, the benefits of carotid endarterectomy remain unclear for asymptomatic patients.