Nonstenotic carotid plaque on CT angiography in patients with cryptogenic stroke

Abstract

Objective: To determine whether large (≥3 mm thick) but nonstenotic (p = 0.008). Plaque with thickness ≥4 mm was present ipsilateral to stroke in 19% of patients, and contralateral in 5% (16/85 vs 4/85; p = 0.002). Plaque with thickness ≥3 mm was present ipsilateral to stroke in 35% of patients, and contralateral in 15% (30/85 vs 13/85; p = 0.001). There was no difference in percentage stenosis ipsilateral vs contralateral to stroke (p = 0.98), and weak correlation between plaque size and stenosis (R² = 0.26, p < 0.001). Conclusions: Large but nonstenotic carotid artery plaque is considerably more common ipsilateral than contralateral to cryptogenic stroke, suggesting that nonstenotic plaque is an underrecognized cause of stroke. We measured plaque size using CT angiography, a method that could be easily implemented in clinical practice.