Carotid plaques - 3 years analysis

Indentify the factoprs influencing the carotid plaque progresssion. All consecutive patients from the ANTIQUE study (Atherosclerotic Plaque Characteristics Associated with a Progression Rate of the Plaque and a Risk of Stroke in Patients with the Carotid Bifurcation Plaque Study – ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02360137) who underwent all clinical and ultrasound examinations over a 36-month period were included in the analysis. The ANTIQUE study inclusion criteria were as follows: patient age 30–90 years; atherosclerotic plaque localized in the carotid bifurcation or proximal part of the internal carotid artery with a width of ≥2.0 mm in B-mode transverse plane; sufficient image quality of atherosclerotic plaque in the carotid bifurcation and internal carotid artery (ICA) using ultrasound; self-sufficiency defined as a modified Rankin Scale score of 0–2 points; and signed informed consent was provided. Exclusion criteria were serious disease with a low probability of survival for at least three years and other objective obstacles preventing regular six-month ultrasound scans. Clinical examination All patients underwent neurological and physical examinations at six-month intervals over the course of 36 months. The examinations included blood pressure (one measurement at rest after the sonographic examination), height, and weight measurements (including calculation of body mass index), collection of demographic and medical data (age, gender, and medical history), occurrence of diseases (arterial hypertension, diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia, coronary heart disease, atrial fibrillation, myocardial infarction, or other cardiac diseases; stroke, including stroke type; and surgery or stenting of any vessels, including carotid arteries, coronary, or lower limb and other arteries), smoking, daily alcohol consumption dose, and medication use. Treatment All patients were treated using the “treating arteries instead of risk factors” strategy.

本研究旨在明确影响颈动脉斑块进展的相关因素。本研究纳入ANTIQUE研究（颈动脉分叉斑块患者斑块进展速率与卒中风险相关的动脉粥样硬化斑块特征研究，ClinicalTrials.gov注册号：NCT02360137）中，于36个月随访期间完成全部临床及超声检查的连续受试者进行分析。ANTIQUE研究的纳入标准如下：年龄30~90岁；动脉粥样硬化斑块位于颈动脉分叉或颈内动脉（internal carotid artery, ICA）近端，B型超声横切面宽度≥2.0 mm；超声检查显示颈动脉分叉及颈内动脉处动脉粥样硬化斑块图像质量良好；改良Rankin量表评分0~2分，提示具备日常自理能力；签署知情同意书。排除标准为：预计生存时间不足3年的严重疾病，以及存在无法规律完成每6个月一次超声检查的其他客观障碍。临床检查：所有受试者在36个月随访周期内，每6个月接受一次神经科及体格检查。检查项目包括：血压（超声检查后静息状态下单次测量）、身高与体重测量（用于计算体质量指数）、人口学与医学资料收集（年龄、性别及病史）、疾病发生情况（动脉高血压、糖尿病、高脂血症、冠心病、心房颤动、心肌梗死或其他心脏疾病；卒中，含卒中类型；以及任何血管的手术或支架置入术，包括颈动脉、冠状动脉、下肢及其他动脉）、吸烟史、每日饮酒剂量及用药情况。治疗方案：所有受试者均采用「治疗动脉而非仅控制危险因素」的诊疗策略。