Comparison and Accuracy of Carotid Plaque Analysis Between Two- and Three-Dimensional Ultrasound Imaging

Abstract

Characterization of carotid atherosclerotic plaque morphology by sonography has shown great potential to increase the amount of diagnostic information traditionally gathered with routine carotid Doppler examinations. Sonographic imaging has shown the ability to visualize plaque directly and quantify certain features such as surface morphology, plaque geometry, and echotexture, using two-dimensional (2D) gray-scale B-mode imaging. Improved methods are being investigated to identify potential markers of high-risk plaques, in the hope of identifying specific imaging parameters to help describe a patient's overall vascular risk. These modalities include the use of high-resolution sonography using newer high-frequency probes and volumetric threedimensional (3D) imaging. Studies have reported that 3D sonography used as a complementary imaging technique may provide additional information in the evaluation and risk stratification of vulnerable carotid plaque beyond traditional 2D imaging. [1][2][3][4][5] Carotid 2D and 3D plaque imaging is emerging as the predominant approach in identifying and evaluating the progression of carotid atheromas. 1 To our knowledge, no published studies have measured the interobserver analysis of various plaque pathologies and assess the value of 3D sonography, in addition to the routinely used 2D plaque imaging. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the utility of advanced sonographic plaque 531853J DMXXX10.