3D-ultrasound of the carotid vessels – A promising new technique for grading stenosis of the internal carotid artery

Purpose: About 20% of ischaemic strokes are caused by large-artery atherosclerosis, id est a significant (more than 50%) stenosis or even occlusion of mainly the internal carotid artery (ICA). By applying the multi-parametric German “DEGUM ultrasound criteria”, ultrasound has proven as a non-invasive, cheap and bed-side method for detection and grading of ICA stenosis with a good sensitivity and specificity. However, there are still cases where a second imaging modality is desirable or even mandatory by guidelines. Here, we want to introduce a new method of real 3D-visualization of the carotid vessels by ultraso…