Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) in the carotid artery has potential as a technique for imaging plaque neovascularization. This study examined whether CEUS could provide information on the severity and instability of coronary artery disease (CAD). A total of 304 patients with CAD and carotid plaque underwent CEUS examination of the carotid artery. Intraplaque neovascularization was identified on the basis of microbubbles within the plaque and graded as: G0, not visible; G1, moderate; or G2, extensive microbubbles. The complexity and extent of the coronary lesions were assessed angiographically. A higher grade of CEUS-assessed plaque neovascularization of the carotid artery was associated significantly with greater complexity (ρ=0.48 by Spearman's rank correlation test) and extent (ρ=0.51) of coronary lesions. G2 plaque neovascularization was a risk for acute coronary syndrome, independent of traditional risk factors (odds ratio 1.91, 95

作者：Juntaro, Deyama；Takamitsu, Nakamura；Isao, Takishima；Daisuke, Fujioka；Ken-ichi, Kawabata；Jun-ei, Obata；Kazuhiro, Watanabe；Yosuke, Watanabe；Yukio, Saito；Hideto, Mishina；Kiyotaka, Kugiyama

来源：Circulation journal : official journal of the Japanese Circulation Society 2013 年 77卷 6期