Ultrasonic and histopathological characteristics of the carotid plaque

The risk of stroke has been associated with progression of atherosclerotic disease at the carotid artery bifurcation (2, 3, 12, 15). In this regard, features related to surface and composition characteristics of the atherosclerotic plaque, such as ulceration and intraplaque hemorrhage, are thought to be of a great pathogenetic importance. Therefore, detection of plaque components that could be the harbingers of future stroke is of critical concern (7, 8, 9, 11, 13, 22).