Aortic atheromas and stroke: review of literature.

Aortic atherosclerosis is the most common disease of the aortic arch, and patients with complicated aortic atheroma should be considered at risk of stroke. There is indeed controversy about whether and how to treat these patients. This review analyzes the literature data about the epidemiology, the association between atheroma and stroke, the classification of aortic atheroma plaques, the imaging diagnostic process, the therapeutics options, and the clinical trials performed in this clinical setting.