[Carotid intraplaque hemorrhage: MRI findings].

Intraplaque hemorrhage is one of the complications of atherosclerotic plaques. It causes clinical manifestations of ischemia without hemodynamically significant stenosis. MRI has a high capacity for the study of the tissular components of atheromatous plaques and is an efficacious diagnostic method in cases of intraplaque hemorrhage. Symptomatic patients with unstable (complicated) plaques, regardless of the degree of stenosis present, might benefit from surgical treatment (endarterectomy). In these cases, the diagnostic value of a noninvasive technique like MRI is fundamental. We present three cases of intraplaque hemorrhage with clinical manifestations of ischemia studied with MRI.