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Updated: Apr 13, 2026
Ultrasonic Assessment of Myocardial Microstructure
Published on: January 14, 2014
Ultrasound imaging for risk assessment in atherosclerosis
David C Steinl1, Beat A Kaufmann2
1Department of Biomedicine, University Hospital Basel, Hebelstrasse 20, Basel 4031, Switzerland. david.steinl@unibas.ch.
Insights
Ultrasound imaging aids in detecting early atherosclerosis and assessing arterial biomechanics, crucial for preventing heart attack and stroke. This technology helps identify plaques and evaluate vessel wall changes for better patient risk stratification.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Imaging
- Vascular Biology
- Medical Ultrasound
Background:
- Atherosclerosis is a prevalent, silent disease leading to heart attack and stroke.
- Early detection and risk stratification are clinically needed.
- Current imaging methods have limitations in early atherosclerosis detection.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the role of ultrasound imaging in detecting early atherosclerosis.
- To evaluate ultrasound's capability in assessing biomechanical changes in atherosclerosis.
- To discuss ultrasound's contribution to patient risk stratification.
Main Methods:
- Review of current literature on ultrasound applications in atherosclerosis.
- Analysis of ultrasound techniques for plaque detection (early and advanced).
- Assessment of ultrasound methods for evaluating vessel wall biomechanics.
Main Results:
- Ultrasound can detect advanced atherosclerotic plaques.
- Emerging ultrasound techniques show potential for identifying early plaques.
- Ultrasound can quantify biomechanical properties of the atherosclerotic vessel wall.
Conclusions:
- Ultrasound imaging is a valuable tool for atherosclerosis detection and risk stratification.
- It offers insights into plaque characteristics and biomechanical alterations.
- Further development of ultrasound methods can improve early diagnosis and patient management.
Abstract:
Atherosclerosis and its consequences like acute myocardial infarction or stroke are highly prevalent in western countries, and the incidence of atherosclerosis is rapidly rising in developing countries. Atherosclerosis is a disease that progresses silently over several decades before it results in the aforementioned clinical consequences. Therefore, there is a clinical need for imaging methods to detect the early stages of atherosclerosis and to better risk stratify patients. In this review, we will discuss how ultrasound imaging can contribute to the detection and risk stratification of atherosclerosis by (a) detecting advanced and early plaques; (b) evaluating the biomechanical consequences of atherosclerosis in the vessel wall;
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