The presence of carotid arterial plaque by ultrasound enhances cardiovascular risk stratification beyond traditional risk factors. However, plaque quantification techniques require further outcomes-based investigation. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the utility of a focused carotid ultrasound protocol and novel plaque grading system developed by the American Society of Echocardiography (ASE). A retrospective analysis of 514 outpatients who were referred for coronary angiography between 2011 and 2014 was performed using a province-sponsored health database. All participants prospectively received a focused carotid ultrasound. Maximum plaque height (MPH) of arterial carotid plaque was quantified, using the grade II–III plaque definition of MPH ≥ 1.5 mm for stratification, according to recent ASE recommendations. Participants were followed for 1.33–5.11 years (average follow-up = 3.60 ± 1.65 years) to identify the occurrence of cardiovascular events. Major events (death, myocardial infarction [MI], stroke, and transient ischemic attack [TIA]) were correlated to MPH. Participants with MPH ≥ 1.5 mm were more likely to experience stable angina, coronary artery bypass grafting, and stress testing at both 1-year and total follow-up. After adjusting for cardiac risk factors, increased MPH was shown to be predictive for TIA (odds ratio [OR] = 1.33, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.01–1.75); p = 0.04), whereas the odds of non-ST-elevation MI (OR = 1.55, 95% CI = 0.99–2.43; p = 0.06) approached significance. Using Kaplan–Meier survival analysis, MPH ≥ 1.5 mm demonstrated good separation for the composite outcome of death, MI, stroke, and TIA over total follow-up (p = 0.02). This rapid, office-based quantification of MPH in carotid ultrasound may serve as a stratification tool for predicting major cardiovascular events.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The presence of carotid arterial plaque by ultrasound enhances cardiovascular risk stratification beyond traditional risk factors. However, plaque quantification techniques require further outcomes-based investigation. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the utility of a focused carotid ultrasound protocol and novel plaque grading system developed by the American Society of Echocardiography (ASE). A retrospective […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"template":"","migration-helper-automated":[],"migration-manual":[],"topic":[],"migration-helper-qa-sample-set":[],"class_list":["post-2417","journal_article","type-journal_article","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":{"citation":"Johri AM, Lajkosz KA, Grubic N, Islam S, Li TY, Simpson CS, Ewart P, Suri JS, Hétu M. Int J Cardiovasc Imaging<\/em>. 2021; 37(5):1601-10. Epub 2021 Jan 27.","source_url":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/s10554-020-02144-5","ices_scientist":[1363,22223],"site":[6736],"research_program":[6742],"news_release":[],"journal_article":[],"atlas":[],"research_report":[],"infographic":[],"video":[],"downloads":null,"links":null,"sitecore_item_id":"B4CEB81A-E40A-4EE5-8028-D32360342DCC","sitecore_item_name":"Maximum-plaque-height-in-carotid-ultrasound-predicts-cardiovascular-disease-outcomes","sitecore_field_values":"{\n \"Title\": \"Maximum plaque height in carotid ultrasound predicts cardiovascular disease outcomes: a population-based validation study of the American Society of Echocardiography\u2019s grade II\u2013III plaque characterization and protocol\",\n \"Short title\": \"Maximum plaque height in carotid\",\n \"Summary\": \"The purpose of this study was to evaluate the utility of a focused carotid ultrasound protocol and novel plaque grading system developed by the American Society of Echocardiography.\",\n \"Citation\": \"