Transcranial Doppler and Microemboli Detection: Relationships to Symptomatic Status and Histopathology Findings

Publication date: September 2017
Source:Ultrasound in Medicine & Biology, Volume 43, Issue 9
Author(s): Carol C. Mitchell, Stephanie M. Wilbrand, Bornali Kundu, Catherine N. Steffel, Tomy Varghese, Nirvedh H. Meshram, Geng Li, Thomas D. Cook, M. Shahriar Salamat, Robert J. Dempsey
The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between symptomatic status, transcranial Doppler (TCD) microemboli presence and plaque histopathology findings. TCD was performed on 60 patients (37 symptomatic, 23 asymptomatic) before undergoing clinically indicated carotid endarterectomy. The frequency of microemboli signals was not significantly different between symptomatic and asymptomatic subject groups (p = 0.88) and there were no differences observed in the macroscopic or histopathology scoring of these plaques (p-values all > 0.05). The presence of microemboli was associated with an ulceration score (regardless of symptomatic or asymptomatic status, p = 0.034), with a one-level increase in ulceration rating associated with an odds ratio of 5.86 (95% [CI] 1.55, 43.4). These findings suggest that both symptomatic and asymptomatic patients may have plaque with similar features of instability and ability to create emboli. Thus, identifying new ways to measure plaque instability may provide important information for optimizing treatment to prevent future stroke.



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