Carotid artery plaque
Both the left and right sides of the common carotid artery, carotid bifurcation, and the internal carotid artery were visualized by B-mode ultrasonography with a 7.5-MHz linear array transducer (ATL Ultra-Mark IV) over a length as large as possible. The presence of plaques at the front and rear walls of the artery was defined as focal widenings of the arterial wall ≥ 50% of adjacent segments, with protrusion into the lumen and composed of calcified or noncalcified components [