Serum Biomarker of Plaque Vulnerability and Contrast Ultrasound of Carotid Artery
Serum Biomarker of Plaque Vulnerability and Contrast Ultrasound of Carotid Artery
No serum biomarker has qualified for clinical use until now. However several biomarkers,
 especially markers of inflammatory or proteolytic activity seem to promising in the
 identification of vulnerable plaques. Moreover, recent study confirmed that contrast-enhanced
 ultrasound imaging(CEUS) can visualize intraplaque neovascularization and represent the
 plaque vulnerability. In this study we try to identify indicators through analysis of the
 relationship between plaque neovascularization seen by CEUS and well known biomarkers such as
 serum matrix metalloproteinase(MMP)-2, MMP-9, cathepsin family(L,S,V), cystatin C,
 lipoprotein phospholipase A2, and hs-crp
Inclusion Criteria:

 -  patients with carotid plaques size more than 2mm by carotid ultrasound

 Exclusion Criteria:

 -  known allergy to albumin, or to the ultrasound contrast agent

 -  the patients with history of carotid endarterectomy and carotid stent

 -  acute myocardial infarction, cardiogenic shock

 -  connective tissue disease and malignancy

 -  creatinine clearance lower than 30ml/min and the history of dialysis