Echographic characterization of carotid plaques.

The histology of the endarterectomy specimen was compared with the preoperative echopattern of 154 plaques. Thirty-four ultrasound images were of poor quality. The 120 adequate echographies revealed 22 dense hyperechogenic homogeneous plaques, 28 soft hypoechogenic homogeneous plaques, 53 inhomogeneous plaques, and 13 mixed plaques. According to the surface, lesions were subdivided as smooth (n = 63) or irregular (n = 57). Echography recognized fibrous plaques (dense homogeneous hyperechogeneous lesions), with a specificity of 87% and a sensitivity of 56%. Recent intraplaque haemorrhage is echographically apparent as a hypoechogenic area in 88% of cases, what corresponds to a specificity of 79% and a sensitivity of 75%. Echography proved to be more accurate than angiography in determining the presence or absence of ulceration. The ability to characterize the pathology of carotid atheroma by duplex scan make the clinicopathologic correlation of carotid plaques of practical importance.