Study on the carotid atherosclerotic plaque of patients suffering from ischemic cerebrovascular disease by 64 slices CT.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To explore the correlation between the features of a carotid plaque of patients suffering from carotid atherosclerosis and ischemic cerebrovascular disease by 64 slices computed tomography (CT). PATIENTS AND METHODS: One hundred patients with carotid atherosclerosis were divided into the ischemic event group (n=48) and non-ischemic event group (n=52). The features of the carotid plaque were detected by 64 slices CT. RESULTS: One hundred and thirteen plaques were found in the ischemic event group. The proportions of fatty, calcified, and mixed plaque were 35.4%, 30.1%, and 34.5%. There are 78 plaques found in the non-ischemic event group. The proportions of fatty, calcified, and mixed plaque were 21.8%, 51.3%, and 26.9%. The distribution difference between the three types of plaques was statistically significant (p<0.05). The proportions of mixed plaque composed mainly of fatty plaque were 64.1% and 23.8%. These two constituent ratios are significantly different from those of statistical processing (p<0.01). There are 10 cases of plaque ulceration out of the 100 cases, among which eight are from the ischemic event group and two cases from the other group. After statistical processing, the incidence rates of plaque ulceration from these two groups are significantly different (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The 64 slices CT can accurately present the morphological features of the carotid plaque. It indicates that the fatty plaque, mixed plaque composed mainly of fatty plaque and ulcerative plaque can cause ischemic cerebrovascular events.