Carotid artery plaque examinations performed with serial ultrasound scans could help identify patients at high risk for a heart attack or other potentially lethal cardiovascular conditions.
Dr. Markus Reiter, at the Medical University of Vienna, evaluated 1268 asymptomatic patients at high risk of cardiovascular disease using computer-assisted gray-scale median (GSM) ultrasound carotid measurements. Plaque volume identified carotid disease in 574 patients who had a second ultrasound exam six to nine months later to measure plaque changes. Nearly half of those patients had lower GSM levels, and 37% experienced a major adverse cardiovascular event, such as a heart attack, a stroke, or cardiac surgery, within three years of the second ultrasound. Vulnerable carotid plaque indicated not only increased risk of stroke but also disease progression elsewhere in the cardiovascular system.
Study results appeared in the September issue of Radiology.
The Reading Room: Racial and Ethnic Minorities, Cancer Screenings, and COVID-19
November 3rd 2020In this podcast episode, Dr. Shalom Kalnicki, from Montefiore and Albert Einstein College of Medicine, discusses the disparities minority patients face with cancer screenings and what can be done to increase access during the pandemic.
FDA Clears Ultrasound AI Detection for Pleural Effusion and Consolidation
June 18th 2025The 14th FDA-cleared AI software embedded in the Exo Iris ultrasound device reportedly enables automated detection of key pulmonary findings that may facilitate detection of pneumonia and tuberculosis in seconds.
Ultrasound-Guided Thermal Ablation Shows Low Recurrence of Thyroid Carcinoma at Five Years
June 16th 2025In a meta-analysis involving over 2,200 patients with T1NoMo papillary thyroid carcinoma, researchers noted 2 percent recurrence and no cases of lymph node metastasis five years after ultrasound-guided thermal ablation.