Carotid plaque vulnerability assessed by contrast-enhanced ultrasound and clinical risk factors

Aim: To evaluate the vulnerability of carotid plaque by contrast-enhanced ultra-sound, to study the clinical risk factors of the plaque, and to analyze the relationship between plaque vulnerability and clinical indicators. Materials and methods: 244 patients with carotid plaque were selected for contrast-enhanced ultrasound exami-nation, biochemical and other indicators were detected, and the stability of plaque was evaluated by semi-quantitative visual grading of intraplaque neovasculariza-tion (IPN), and correlation between plaque and each indicator was analyzed. Results: Different grades of neovascularization in plaque had statistical differences with BMI, arm circumference, WHR, WBC, CRP, tHcy, TBIL, DBIL, SUA, LP (a) and DD (P<0.05). Correlation analysis showed that TBIL, DBIL were negatively correlated with the grading, while others were positively correlated. Conclusion: The expression levels of SUA, tHcy, TC, TG, LDL-C, LP (a), DD, WBC and CRP are closely related to contrast-enhanced ultrasound grading, which further indicated the vulnerability of plaque and provides theoretical basis for clinical treatment.