Objectives: To describe carotid plaque composition by computed tomography angiography (CTA) in asymptomatic subjects and to compare this to carotid plaque assessment by ultrasound, coronary plaques by coronary CTA, and inflammatory biomarkers in plasma.
Methods: Middle-aged asymptomatic men, n = 43, without known cardiovascular disease and diabetes were included. Plaques in coronary and carotid arteries were evaluated using CTA. Total plaque volumes and plaque composition were assessed by a validated plaque analysis software. The 60% centile cut point was used to divide the population into low or high carotid total plaque volumes. The occurrence of carotid plaques and intima-media thickness (IMT) was estimated by ultrasound.
Results: Carotid plaque by ultrasound was undiagnosed in 13 of 28 participants (46%) compared to CTA. Participants having carotid plaques by ultrasound had significantly higher absolute volumes of all CTA-defined carotid plaque subtypes and a higher fraction of calcified plaque. A high carotid total plaque volume was independently associated with age (adjusted odds ratio (OR) 1.41 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.14-1.74], p = 0.001), IMT (adjusted OR 2.26 [95% CI 1.10-4.65], p = 0.03), and D-dimer (adjusted OR 8.86 [95% CI 1.26-62.37], p = 0.03). All coronary plaque features were significantly higher in participants with a high carotid total plaque volume.
Conclusion: The occurrence of carotid plaques in asymptomatic individuals is underestimated by ultrasound compared to plaque assessment by CTA. Carotid plaque composition by CTA is different in individuals with and without carotid plaques by ultrasound.
Key Points: • The occurrence of carotid plaques by ultrasound was underestimated in 46% of participants who had plaques by carotid CTA. • Participants with carotid plaques by ultrasound had higher volumes of all plaque subtypes and a higher calcified plaque component as determined by carotid CTA compared to participants without carotid plaques by ultrasound. • A high carotid total plaque volume was independently associated with age, intima-media thickness, and D-dimer.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00330-019-06086-y | DOI Listing |
Biol Direct
January 2025
National Key Laboratory for Innovation and Transformation of Luobing Theory; The Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Remodeling and Function Research, Chinese Ministry of Education, Chinese National Health Commission and Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, China.
Background: Carotid atherosclerotic plaque is the primary cause of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. It is closely related to oxidative stress and immune inflammation. This bioinformatic study was conducted to identify key oxidative stress-related genes and key immune cell infiltration involved in the formation, progression, and stabilization of plaques and investigate the relationship between them.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFImmunity
January 2025
Institute for Stroke and Dementia Research (ISD), University Hospital, Ludwig-Maximilian-University (LMU), Munich, Germany; Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen e. V. (DZNE), Munich, Germany; Munich Cluster for Systems Neurology (SyNergy), Munich, Germany; German Center for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Partner Site Munich Heart Alliance (MHA), Munich, Germany. Electronic address:
Common genetic variants in a conserved cis-regulatory element (CRE) at histone deacetylase (HDAC)9 are a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease, including stroke and coronary artery disease. Given the consistency of this association and its proinflammatory properties, we examined the mechanisms whereby HDAC9 regulates vascular inflammation. HDAC9 bound and mediated deacetylation of NLRP3 in the NACHT and LRR domains leading to inflammasome activation and lytic cell death.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSurg Radiol Anat
January 2025
Department of Neurosurgery, Saitama Sekishinkai Hospital, 2-37-20 Irumagawa, Sayama, Saitama, 350-1305, Japan.
Purpose: To describe a case of short common trunk of the occipital artery (OA) and ascending pharyngeal artery (APA) arising from the internal carotid artery (ICA).
Methods: A 36-year-old woman with a history of surgical resection of a right lateral ventricular meningioma and atheromatous plaque of the right ICA underwent cranial magnetic resonance (MR) imaging and MR angiography of the head and neck region with a 3-Tesla scanner.
Results: MR angiography of the neck region showed a small atheromatous plaque at the origin of the right ICA and an anomalous artery arising from the posteromedial aspect of the right ICA at the distal end of the carotid bulb.
Front Neurol
January 2025
Department of Radiology, The First People's Hospital of Lianyungang, Lianyungang Clinical College of Nanjing Medical University, Lianyungang, China.
Objective: To develop a deep learning (DL) model for carotid plaque detection based on CTA images and evaluate the clinical application feasibility and value of the model.
Methods: We retrospectively collected data from patients with carotid atherosclerotic plaques who underwent continuous CTA examinations of the head and neck at a tertiary hospital from October 2020 to October 2022. The model combined ResUNet with the Pyramid Scene Parsing Network (PSPNet) to enhance plaque segmentation.
Lipids Health Dis
January 2025
Department of Endocrinology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei Anhui, 230601, China.
Background: The triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index has been identified as an alternative biomarker for insulin resistance (IR), while residual cholesterol (RC) is a simple, cost-effective, and easily detectable lipid metabolite. However, the associations of these two markers with carotid plaque presence remain unclear. Thus, this study aimed to explore their associations with carotid plaque presence.
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