Plaque-Reporting and Data System Related to Cerebrovascular Event Risk with Mild/Moderate Stenosis: A Chinese...

Area of Science:

• Vascular Imaging
• Cardiovascular Research
• Neurology

Background:

• Carotid plaque morphology and composition are crucial for assessing cerebrovascular event risk.
• Standardized reporting systems are needed for consistent plaque evaluation.
• The Carotid Plaque-Reporting And Data System (Plaque-RADS) offers a standardized approach.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the carotid Plaque-RADS in a multi-center, vessel-wall MRI dataset.
• To assess the relationship between Plaque-RADS, clinical risk factors, and ipsilateral cerebrovascular symptoms.

Main Methods:

• Recruited symptomatic patients from the CARE-II study with atherosclerotic carotid plaques.
• Utilized contrast-enhanced vessel wall imaging to identify plaque components and determine Plaque-RADS.
• Collected ancillary features like calcification and plaque burden (max_NWI); classified stenosis severity.

Main Results:

• Symptomatic carotid arteries showed higher stenosis, Plaque-RADS scores (≥3), and max_NWI compared to asymptomatic sides.
• Plaque-RADS was significantly associated with cerebrovascular events (OR=1.11).
• Higher Plaque-RADS correlated with advanced age, male sex, and smoking history.

Conclusions:

• Plaque-RADS can stratify patients at risk for cerebrovascular events, particularly in mild-to-moderate stenosis cases.
• Advanced age, male sex, and smoking history are linked to higher Plaque-RADS scores.
• The association between Plaque-RADS and events requires further investigation, especially after adjusting for stenosis and plaque burden.