Carotid atherosclerotic plaque microcalcification independently associated with recurrent neurovascular events reveals pilot study

Ipsilateral carotid plaque NaF uptake at baseline was higher in those with recurrent events compared to those without, and this association remained after adjustment for other vascular risk factors (OR 1.24, 1.03-1.50). Macrocalcification score in the symptomatic artery was also significantly independently associated with ipsilateral recurrence, but the effect size was relatively smaller (OR 1.12, 1.06-1.17 for each 100 unit increase). The findings indicate that microcalcification in symptomatic carotid plaques is independently associated with ipsilateral ischemic stroke recurrence. Furthermore, differences in the extent of active microcalcification in macrocalcified plaques may help explain variation in the relationship between calcified carotid plaques and stroke recurrence reported in the literature. Our pilot study indicates that evaluation of carotid artery microcalcification using NaF-PET may be a useful method for risk-stratification of carotid atherosclerosis, though our findings require confirmation in larger cohorts

Reference:

Bhakta S, Tarkin J, Chowdhury M, Rudd J, Warburton EA, Evans NR. Carotid atherosclerotic plaque microcalcification is independently associated with recurrent neurovascular events: a pilot study. International Journal of Stroke. 2024;0(ja). doi:10.1177/17474930241264734