Carotid artery plaque imaging: Present status and new perspectives

At present, the management of carotid artery (CA) stenosis depends largely on the degree of stenosis. CA plaque imaging is a modality, which assesses the nature of CA plaques objectively and less invasively, that has developed remarkably in recent years. The use of CA plaque imaging in the management of CA stenosis not only reveals the degree of stenosis but it can make the selection of treatment more appropriate by taking the plaque character into consideration. In this manuscript, we introduce ultrasound, intravascular ultrasound, angiography, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), positron emission tomography (PET) and computed tomography (CT) and describe the present situation and new perspectives of CA plaque imaging.