2022 Volume 71 Issue 3 Pages 404-411
Purpose: Carotid plaque ulceration is considered to be one of the risk factors for cerebral infarction. Carotid plaque ulcerations are detected in many asymptomatic patients in daily medical practice. The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between asymptomatic carotid plaque ulceration and the subsequent neurological outcome. Methods: The study population included 87 patients with carotid plaque ulceration at the initial carotid ultrasonography test. These patients were assigned to the ulceration group. This group was matched with 87 patients, drawn from 1,526 eligible patients without carotid plaque ulceration, by the propensity score method in terms of age, gender, mean intima-media thickness, max intima-media thickness, hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, and administration of antiplatelet agents, eicosapentaenoic acid, and statins. These 87 patients were designated as the non-ulceration group. We retrospectively investigated the subsequent development of neurologic symptoms in the two groups. Results: During the follow-up period, only two patients in the ulceration group developed neurologic symptoms caused by transient ischemic attack. On the other hand, in the non-ulceration group, none developed neurologic symptoms. Moreover, no statistically significant differences were found between these groups. Conclusion: Carotid plaque ulceration in asymptomatic patients was not significantly associated with the subsequent development of neurologic symptoms.
