• Xiaoni Chang, Jun Feng, Litao Ruan, Jing Shang, Yanqiu Yang, Jian Sun, Ying Dang, and Yan Song.
• 1 Department of Ultrasound, the First Affiliated Hospital, Xi’an Jiaotong University, China, and Department of Ultrasound, Shaanxi Provincial People’s Hospital, China.
• VASA. 2015 May 1; 44 (3): 187-94.

BackgroundNeovascularization is one of the most important risk factors for unstable plaque. This study was designed to correlate plaque thickness, artery stenosis and levels of serum C-reactive protein with the degree of intraplaque enhancement determined by contrast-enhanced ultrasound.Patients And MethodsContrast-enhanced ultrasound was performed on 72 carotid atherosclerotic plaques in 48 patients. Contrast enhancement within the plaque was categorized as grade 1, 2 or 3. Maximum plaque thickness was measured in short-axis view. Carotid artery stenosis was categorized as mild, moderate or severe.ResultsPlaque contrast enhancement was not associated with the degree of artery stenosis or with plaque thickness. Serum C-reactive protein levels were positively correlated with the number of new vessels in the plaque. C-reactive protein levels increased in the three groups(Grade 1: 3.72±1.79mg/L; Grade 2: 7.88±4.24 mg/L; Grade 3: 11.02±3.52 mg/L), with significant differences among them (F=10.14, P<0.01), and significant differences between each two groups (P<0.05). Spearman’s rank correlation analysis showed that serum C-reactive protein levels were positively correlated with the degree of carotid plaque enhancement (Rs =0.69, P<0.01).ConclusionsThe combination of C-reactive protein levels and intraplaque neovascularization detected by contrast-enhanced ultrasound may allow more accurate evaluation of plaque stability.

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