The initial application of RawVision

Background: Non-invasive assessment for carotid plaque vulnerability is important for risk evaluation of strokes. The RawVision Methods: In this prospective study, hospitalized patients diagnosed with carotid atherosclerotic plaques were recruited and divided into symptomatic and asymptomatic groups. The B-mode ultrasound and RVP technique color-coded imaging was performed to evaluated the thickest plaque of carotid arteries in all patients. Various quantitative parameters were created by RVP quantitative analysis, including contrast (CNT), homogeneity (ENT), non-correlation (NRT), capacity (CPT) and the maximum value of absolute strain rate (MASR)-were measured as both mean values (from three regions of interest) and global values (from the overall plaque). All ultrasound features were compared between two groups. The Inter-observer and intra-observer reliability were assessed using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Results: The 123 patients were divided into the asymptomatic group (48/123, 39.0%) and symptomatic group (75/123, 61.0%). Heterogeneous coloring of RVP color-coded imaging in the target plaque could be observed in the symptomatic group. Among all quantitative parameters, the CNT (mean) value of symptomatic carotid plaques was significantly higher than that of asymptomatic carotid plaques(65.424 Conclusions: As a novel non-invasive imaging method, the RVP quantitative technique showed potential value in assessing the vulnerability of carotid plaques.