Carotid plaque assessment using non-invasive shear strain elastography

Stroke is a leading cause of death and morbidity worldwide, and a significant proportion of strokes are caused by carotid atherosclerotic plaque rupture. Non-invasive vascular elastography (NIVE) provides maps of carotid plaque strain computed from radiofrequency ultrasound (US) data sequences. The goal of this project was to evaluate the ability of NIVE shear strain analysis to characterize carotid plaque vulnerability in vivo in patients referred for carotid evaluation.