Plaque at RISK (PARISK): Prospective Multicenter Study to Improve Diagnosis of High-Risk Carotid Plaques

BackgroundPatients with symptomatic carotid artery stenosis are at high risk for recurrent stroke. To date, the decision to perform carotid endarterectomy in patients with a recent cerebrovascular event is mainly based on degree of stenosis of the ipsilateral carotid artery. However, additional atherosclerotic plaque characteristics might be better predictors of stroke, allowing for more precise selection of patients for carotid endarterectomy.Aims and hypothesisWe investigate the hypothesis that the assessment of carotid plaque characteristics with magnetic resonance imaging, multidetector-row computed tomography angiography, ultrasonography, and transcranial Doppler, either alone or in combination, may improve identification of a subgroup of patients with <70% carotid artery stenosis with an increased risk of recurrent stroke.MethodsThe Plaque At RISK (PARISK) study is a prospective multicenter cohort study of patients with recent (<3 months) neurological symptoms due to ischemia in the territory of the...