Jellyfish sign: Deformation of plaque in the carotid artery due to pulsatile blood flow

Abstract

Deformation of plaque in the carotid artery was studied in 7 patients by B-mode ultrasonography. The plaque showed a change in shape due to pulsatile blood flow. Five of the patients had suffered cerebral stroke. There are many risk factors of embolism that can cause stroke, and soft plaque is an important risk factor for cerebral infarction. We coined the term “jellyfish sign” for this unstable deformation pattern of soft plaque. Unstable movement of the plaque suggests that it may contain a soft area and hemorrhage under a thin cap, which might easily cause rupture and artery to artery embolism. B-mode is useful for revealing such high-risk plaque showing the “jellyfish sign”.