Quantification of Carotid Plaque Histology Using iPlaque Software

Toshiyasu Ogata; Hirofumi Shimada; Tooru Inoue; Sho Takeshita; Yoshio Tsuboi; Noriko Uesugi; Mika Fujiwara; Masataka Sata; Hirotsugu Yamada

doi:10.1016/j.ultrasmedbio.2020.12.002

Quantification of Carotid Plaque Histology Using iPlaque Software

Ultrasound Med Biol. 2021 Apr;47(4):928-931. doi: 10.1016/j.ultrasmedbio.2020.12.002. Epub 2021 Jan 3.

Authors

Toshiyasu Ogata¹, Hirofumi Shimada², Tooru Inoue³, Sho Takeshita⁴, Yoshio Tsuboi⁴, Noriko Uesugi⁵, Mika Fujiwara⁶, Masataka Sata⁷, Hirotsugu Yamada⁸

Affiliations

¹ Department of Neurology, Fukuoka University, Fukuoka, Japan. Electronic address: toshiogata@fukuoka-u.ac.jp.
² Department of Laboratory Medicine, Fukuoka University, Fukuoka, Japan.
³ Department of Neurosurgery, Fukuoka University, Fukuoka, Japan.
⁴ Department of Neurology, Fukuoka University, Fukuoka, Japan.
⁵ Department of Pathology, Fukuoka University, Fukuoka, Japan.
⁶ Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Takamatsu Municipal Hospital, Takamatsu, Japan.
⁷ Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Tokushima University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima, Japan.
⁸ Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Tokushima University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima, Japan; Department of Community Medicine for Cardiology, Tokushima University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima, Japan.

PMID: 33408050
DOI: 10.1016/j.ultrasmedbio.2020.12.002

Abstract

The iPlaque software package can use integrated backscatter (IB) values of carotid plaque to extract information on tissue composition. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between the plaque histologic classification and IB values evaluated by iPlaque. In 49 patients undergoing carotid endarterectomy, IB values of whole carotid plaque were measured using iPlaque from the long-axis ultrasonographic image. Histologic findings of resected plaques were defined using the classification of the American Heart Association. The average IB values were statistically compared with the classification. Plaque samples from 49 patients were categorized into V, VI and VII, (13, 32 and 4 cases, respectively). Both the average and standard deviation of the IB values in each plaque sample significantly differed among the three classifications (p = 0.001). The IB of carotid plaque obtained by iPlaque analysis was associated with its histologic characteristics.

Keywords: Carotid plaque; histology; iPlaque; integrated backscatter; ultrasonography.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Carotid Stenosis / diagnostic imaging*
Carotid Stenosis / pathology*
Carotid Stenosis / surgery
Endarterectomy
Female
Humans
Image Processing, Computer-Assisted*
Male
Middle Aged
Software*
Ultrasonography*