In Vivo Measurement of Plaque Neovascularization and Thermal Heterogeneity in Intermediate Lesions of Human Carotids

Georgios Benetos, Konstantinos Toutouzas, Haralampos Grassos, Maria Drakopoulou, Charalampia Nikolaou, Ioannis Felekos, Constantina Aggeli, Eleftherios Tsiamis, Elias Siores, Christodoulos Stefanadis

2014

Abstract

Purpose: Both plaque angiogenesis and inflammation contribute to the development and progression of atherosclerosis. Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) allows direct visualization of the adventitia vasa vasorum. Microwave Radiometry (MWR) is a special technology, which quantifies internal temperature of tissues, reflecting their inflammatory status. In the present study we aimed to evaluate in human carotid arteries, whether atherosclerotic plaque temperature, measured by MWR, is associated with plaque neovascularization assessed by CEUS. Methods: For this purpose, 48 consecutive patients with significant coronary artery disease and carotid plaques in at least one carotid were included in the analysis .All patients underwent basic ultrasound carotid imaging, neovascularization evaluation through CEUS and temperature measurements through MWR. Results: Plaques with vulnerable characteristics showed both higher temperatures and contrast uptake. There was a positive correlation between temperature and CEUS measurements. Conclusions: In vivo non-invasive assessment of the functional characteristics of carotid artery atherosclerotic plaques is feasible, promising and may serve as an additional screening tool to identify ‘high risk’ patients for future cerebrovascular events.

Paper Citation

in Harvard Style

Benetos G., Toutouzas K., Grassos H., Drakopoulou M., Nikolaou C., Felekos I., Aggeli C., Tsiamis E., Siores E. and Stefanadis C. (2014). In Vivo Measurement of Plaque Neovascularization and Thermal Heterogeneity in Intermediate Lesions of Human Carotids . In - CARDIOTECHNIX, ISBN , pages 0-0

in Bibtex Style

@conference{cardiotechnix14,
author={Georgios Benetos and Konstantinos Toutouzas and Haralampos Grassos and Maria Drakopoulou and Charalampia Nikolaou and Ioannis Felekos and Constantina Aggeli and Eleftherios Tsiamis and Elias Siores and Christodoulos Stefanadis},
title={In Vivo Measurement of Plaque Neovascularization and Thermal Heterogeneity in Intermediate Lesions of Human Carotids},
booktitle={ - CARDIOTECHNIX,},
year={2014},
pages={},
publisher={SciTePress},
organization={INSTICC},
doi={},
isbn={},
}

in EndNote Style

TY - CONF
JO - - CARDIOTECHNIX,
TI - In Vivo Measurement of Plaque Neovascularization and Thermal Heterogeneity in Intermediate Lesions of Human Carotids
SN -
AU - Benetos G.
AU - Toutouzas K.
AU - Grassos H.
AU - Drakopoulou M.
AU - Nikolaou C.
AU - Felekos I.
AU - Aggeli C.
AU - Tsiamis E.
AU - Siores E.
AU - Stefanadis C.
PY - 2014
SP - 0
EP - 0
DO -