Table 2.
Frequency of plaque characteristics in patients with atherosclerotic stenosis
| Characteristic | Location and degree stenosis, n = patients | Symptomatic | Asymptomatic | Diagnostic modality |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intraplaque hemorrhage | Extracranial carotid stenosis 50–99%, n = 40 | 46.5% | 14% | HR MRI (U‐King‐Im et al. 2008) |
| MCA stenosis >40%, n = 76 | 30% | 15% | Pathology (Chen et al. 2008) | |
| MCA stenosis >70%, n = 109 | 19.6% | 3.2% | HR MRI (Xu et al. 2012) | |
| Intracranial stenosis 50–99%, n = 20 | 33% | 20% | MRI CHIASM pilota | |
| Thin or ruptured fibrous cap | Extracranial carotid stenosis 50–99%, n = 58 | 96% | 60% | HR MRI (Yuan et al. 2002b) |
| Extracranial Carotid stenosis 50–99%, n = 40 | 88.4% | 49% | HR MRI (U‐King‐Im et al. 2008) | |
| MCA stenosis > 50%, n = 47 | 68% | 32% | HR MRI (Xu et al. 2009) | |
| Intracranial stenosis 50–99%, n = 20 | 36% | 33% | MRI CHIASM pilota | |
| Lipid area > 25% of plaque | Extracranial carotid stenosis 50–99%, n = 40 | 63.8% | 28% | HR MRI (U‐King‐Im et al. 2008) |
| Intracranial stenosis 50–99%a, n = 20 | 75% | 60% | MRI CHIASM pilota |
MCA, middle cerebral artery; ICA, intracranial internal carotid artery.
a
Unpublished data: Five patients with a symptomatic plaque also had an asymptomatic plaque (total plaques = 25): 14 MCA, 2 ICA, 4 Basilar, and 5 Vertebral; No. symptomatic plaques = 19, No. asymptomatic plaques = 6.