Improving imaging to optimize screening strategies for carotid artery stenosis

Carotid stenosis is a major risk factor for ischemic stroke. Recently, the United States Preventive Services Task Force issued a recommendation against screening for carotid stenosis in the general population. There is the potential for efficient risk-stratifying or staged screening approaches that identify individuals at highest risk for carotid stenosis and stroke, but these tools have yet to be proven effective in external validation studies. In this paper, we review how medical imaging can be used to detect carotid stenosis and highlight several areas that could be improved to identify potentially efficient screening strategies for carotid stenosis.