Ainsworth CD et al. (2005) 3D ultrasound measurement of change in carotid plaque volume. A tool for rapid evaluation of new therapies. Stroke [doi: 10.1161/01.STR.0000178543.19433.20]

Use of 3D ultrasound to measure the volume of carotid plaque could be suitable for evaluating new treatments for atherosclerosis, an initial trial with atorvastatin has shown.

Previous studies carried out at the Robarts Research Institute in Canada have shown that carotid plaque area is a strong predictor of future cardiovascular events, including myocardial infarction and stroke.

In their recent study, Ainsworth et al. investigated whether transcutaneous carotid 3D ultrasound could detect the effects of atorvastatin treatment on the progression of atherosclerosis. Thirty-eight patients with carotid stenosis participated in this double-blind trial, and were randomly assigned to receive either 80 mg atorvastatin daily (n = 17) or placebo (n = 21). Ultrasound scans of patients' carotid arteries were carried out at the start of treatment and at 3-month follow-up visits, with plaque volumes calculated using a 3D Quantify software program. Over 3 months, carotid plaque volume significantly decreased in patients receiving atorvastatin compared with those receiving placebo, showing that this technique could be used to evaluate antiatherosclerotic therapies.

Studies involving alternative methods for assessing the degree of atherosclerosis, for example the measurement of coronary calcification and carotid intima-media thickness, are limited by long treatment regimens and the need for large sample sizes. The small number of patients in this study and its relatively short duration highlight potential advantages of measuring the volume of carotid plaque in future trials evaluating new treatments.