Image Analysis of Carotid Plaques and Risk Stratification

The multidisciplinary approach combining angiography, high-resolution ultrasound imaging, transcranial Doppler studies of embolic signals, plaque pathology, histochemistry, coagulation studies, and, more recently, molecular biology has led to a better understanding of the mechanism of carotid plaque rupture, the key mechanism underlying the development of cerebrovascular events1–3 (Chap. 1).