Biomaterial Database

Carotid plaque morphology: a review. 1995

J K Hayward, and A H Davies, and P M Lamont

Department of Vascular Surgery, Bristol Royal Infirmary, U.K.

The recent North American Symptomatic Carotid Endarterectomy Trial has answered fairly conclusively the questions concerning the optimal management of patients with symptoms who have a > 70% stenosis of the internal carotid artery. It has also had the effect of refocusing attention on carotid pathology. The main question still to be answered is whether surgical management is the optimum treatment for other groups of patients with carotid disease. From various studies done on the natural history of carotid plaques it is apparent that there are subgroups who may benefit from surgery, namely those who will progress to stroke if not treated. The problem comes in identifying these subgroups by the factors which cause them to progress. This paper aims to review the role that plaque morphology has in the development of symptoms and whether it should be included with degree of stenosis in assessing the risk of a carotid plaque. The non-invasive assessment of plaque morphology is also reviewed. The evidence from this review does not support the use of plaque morphology as a discriminating factor for carotid endarterectomy at present.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D002343	Carotid Artery, Internal	Branch of the common carotid artery which supplies the anterior part of the brain, the eye and its appendages, the forehead and nose.	Arteries, Internal Carotid,Artery, Internal Carotid,Carotid Arteries, Internal,Internal Carotid Arteries,Internal Carotid Artery
D002561	Cerebrovascular Disorders	A spectrum of pathological conditions of impaired blood flow in the brain. They can involve vessels (ARTERIES or VEINS) in the CEREBRUM, the CEREBELLUM, and the BRAIN STEM. Major categories include INTRACRANIAL ARTERIOVENOUS MALFORMATIONS; BRAIN ISCHEMIA; CEREBRAL HEMORRHAGE; and others.	Brain Vascular Disorders,Intracranial Vascular Disorders,Vascular Diseases, Intracranial,Cerebrovascular Diseases,Cerebrovascular Insufficiency,Cerebrovascular Occlusion,Brain Vascular Disorder,Cerebrovascular Disease,Cerebrovascular Disorder,Cerebrovascular Insufficiencies,Cerebrovascular Occlusions,Disease, Cerebrovascular,Diseases, Cerebrovascular,Insufficiencies, Cerebrovascular,Insufficiency, Cerebrovascular,Intracranial Vascular Disease,Intracranial Vascular Diseases,Intracranial Vascular Disorder,Occlusion, Cerebrovascular,Occlusions, Cerebrovascular,Vascular Disease, Intracranial,Vascular Disorder, Brain,Vascular Disorder, Intracranial,Vascular Disorders, Brain,Vascular Disorders, Intracranial
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D001161	Arteriosclerosis	Thickening and loss of elasticity of the walls of ARTERIES of all sizes. There are many forms classified by the types of lesions and arteries involved, such as ATHEROSCLEROSIS with fatty lesions in the ARTERIAL INTIMA of medium and large muscular arteries.	Arterioscleroses
D012307	Risk Factors	An aspect of personal behavior or lifestyle, environmental exposure, inborn or inherited characteristic, which, based on epidemiological evidence, is known to be associated with a health-related condition considered important to prevent.	Health Correlates,Risk Factor Scores,Risk Scores,Social Risk Factors,Population at Risk,Populations at Risk,Correlates, Health,Factor, Risk,Factor, Social Risk,Factors, Social Risk,Risk Factor,Risk Factor Score,Risk Factor, Social,Risk Factors, Social,Risk Score,Score, Risk,Score, Risk Factor,Social Risk Factor
D016893	Carotid Stenosis	Narrowing or stricture of any part of the CAROTID ARTERIES, most often due to atherosclerotic plaque formation. Ulcerations may form in atherosclerotic plaques and induce THROMBUS formation. Platelet or cholesterol emboli may arise from stenotic carotid lesions and induce a TRANSIENT ISCHEMIC ATTACK; CEREBROVASCULAR ACCIDENT; or temporary blindness (AMAUROSIS FUGAX). (From Adams et al., Principles of Neurology, 6th ed, pp 822-3)	Carotid Artery Narrowing,Carotid Ulcer,Carotid Artery Plaque,Carotid Artery Stenosis,Carotid Artery Ulcerating Plaque,Common Carotid Artery Stenosis,External Carotid Artery Stenosis,Internal Carotid Artery Stenosis,Plaque, Ulcerating, Carotid Artery,Stenosis, Common Carotid Artery,Stenosis, External Carotid Artery,Ulcerating Plaque, Carotid Artery,Artery Narrowing, Carotid,Artery Narrowings, Carotid,Artery Plaque, Carotid,Artery Plaques, Carotid,Artery Stenoses, Carotid,Artery Stenosis, Carotid,Carotid Artery Narrowings,Carotid Artery Plaques,Carotid Artery Stenoses,Carotid Stenoses,Carotid Ulcers,Narrowing, Carotid Artery,Narrowings, Carotid Artery,Plaque, Carotid Artery,Plaques, Carotid Artery,Stenoses, Carotid,Stenoses, Carotid Artery,Stenosis, Carotid,Stenosis, Carotid Artery,Ulcer, Carotid,Ulcers, Carotid
D016894	Endarterectomy, Carotid	The excision of the thickened, atheromatous tunica intima of a carotid artery.	Carotid Endarterectomy,Carotid Endarterectomies,Endarterectomies, Carotid