RESUMO
Objective To study the relationship between progression and clinical characteristics of carotid plaques at different sites in elderly carotid atherosclerosis patients.Methods Fifty-one elderly carotid atherosclerosis patients who underwent twice of high resolution MRI in our hospital were included in this study.The MRI data of 75 carotid arteries,annual progression of stenosis,maximum wall thickness,wall size,lumen size at plaques in common carotid artery (CCA),carotid bifurcation (BIF) and internal carotid artery (ICA) were analyzed.Results Of the 131 plaques in 75 carotid arteries,42 were detected in ICA,54 were detected in BIF.The annual progression rates of wall size and maximum wall thickness were higher at plaques in ICA than at those in CCA and BIF (P=0.036,P=0.028).The wall size of plaques in ICA was related with age,hypertension and diabetes (r=0.39,P=0.011;r=0.37,P=0.016;r=0.31,P=0.041).Conclusion The progression of plaques in ICA is faster than that of those in CCA and BIF,and is related with the high clinical risk factors.MRI follow-up can characterize the progressive plaques in elderly carotid atherosclerosis patients.