Tianjin Medical Journal ›› 2025, Vol. 53 ›› Issue (4): 439-443.doi: 10.11958/20242130

• Applied Research • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Predictive value of proximal angle of atherosclerosis carotid plaque and distribution of neovascularization in evaluating the recurrence of cerebral infarction

HU Ziyue1(), ZHENG Ruyu1, LIU Dan1, TANG Shan1, KAN Yanmin1,(), JING Xiang1, LI Qian2   

  1. 1 Department of Ultrasound
    2 Department of Neurology, Tianjin Third Central Hospital, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Extracorporeal Life Support for Critical Diseases, Artificial Cell Engineering Technology Research Center, Tianjin Institute of Hepatobiliary Disease, Tianjin 300170, China
  • Received:2024-12-05 Revised:2025-02-20 Published:2025-04-15 Online:2025-04-17
  • Contact: E-mail:wuxiny_2009@163.com

Abstract:

Objective To explore the correlation between the proximal angle of carotid atherosclerotic plaques and neovascularization scores, and their clinical application value in predicting recurrent cerebral infarction. Methods A total of 88 patients who underwent carotid plaque ultrasound examination in our hospital were selected. According to CT/MRI results, patients were divided into the non-cerebral infarction group (45 cases) and the cerebral infarction group (43 cases). Conventional ultrasound examination was performed followed by contrast-enhanced ultrasound. Plaque length, thickness and proximal angle were measured, and the neovascularization score of the proximal end was evaluated using contrast-enhanced ultrasound, and the results were compared and analyzed. Results In the cerebral infarction group, plaque thickness, proximal angle, and neovascularization score were significantly higher than those in the non-cerebral infarction group (P<0.05), while there was no significant difference in plaque length. The proportion of plaques with a proximal neovascularization score of 2 or 3 was higher in the cerebral infarction group than those of the non-cerebral infarction group (79.1% vs. 24.4%, P<0.01). A positive correlation was found between the proximal angle and neovascularization score in all patients (rs=0.374, P<0.01). There was no significant difference between the area under the ROC curve for neovascularization score in predicting recurrent cerebral infarction and the proximal angle (P>0.05). The optimal cutoff value of the proximal angle was 18.8, and the sensitivity and the specificity for predicting recurrent cerebral infarction were 93.0% and 62.2%. In the cerebral infarction group, seven patients (16.3%) had recurrent infarction within one year, and these patients had higher proximal neovascularization scores, with angles greater than 18.8°. Conclusion There is a strong correlation between proximal angle of carotid plaques and neovascularization score, which has a positive predictive role in the recurrence of cerebral infarction, providing a reliable auxiliary diagnostic basis for clinical practice.

Key words: brain infarction, carotid arteries, atherosclerosis, neovascularization score, proximal angle

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