Carotid Plaques Increase the Risk of Stroke and Subtypes of Cerebral Infarction in Asymptomatic Elderly

Abstract

Carotid plaques increase the risk of stroke and cerebral infarction, irrespective of their location. Plaques increase the risk of infarctions in the anterior but not in the posterior circulation. It is likely that carotid plaques in neurologically asymptomatic subjects are both markers of generalized atherosclerosis and sources of thromboemboli.