Carotid Plaque

The goal of this observational study is to validate the diagnostic performance of photon counting/spectral CT to distinguish tissue components in ischemic stroke with MRI, semi-automated segmentation software or histology as the reference standard. The main question\[s\] it aims to answer are: 1. Presence or absence of calcium, hemorrhage, and lipid plaque components as determined on CT will be confirmed with carotid MRI, segmentation quantitative (e.g., volume) output from segmentation software, or histologic staining. 2. Volumes of hemorrhage, lipid, and calcium components will be measured to determine plaque phenotype and correlated with ipsilateral intracranial stroke burden. Participants will be asked to do the following: Aim 1: * 1 Photon counting/spectral CT angiography of the neck * 1 Research Carotid/Neck MRI of the carotid arteries (if eligible) Aim 2: * 1 Research Carotid/Neck MRI of the carotid arteries (if eligible) * 1 Photon counting/spectral CT angiography of the neck * 1 Carotid plaque tissue from participants surgery will be retrieved, imaged, and stained (if eligible)

This study included patients with carotid artery atherosclerotic plaques to conduct multimodal ultrasound examinations, aiming to establish a plaque vulnerability assessment model based on ultrasonic imaging indicators, clinical history, and laboratory indicators. Based on the occurrence of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events during the 3-year follow-up period, the correlation between the vulnerability of carotid plaques and the occurrence of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events was explored. Furthermore, a cardiovascular and cerebrovascular risk prediction model for patients with plaques was established by combining multi-dimensional data indicators such as patients\' clinical data and ultrasonic multimodal imaging data, forming a risk warning tool suitable for clinical use and providing a reference for risk management in patients with carotid artery plaques. Research Objectives： 1. To establish a plaque vulnerability assessment model based on ultrasonic imaging indicators of plaques, clinical indicators of patients, and laboratory indicators. 2. To establish a cardiovascular and cerebrovascular risk prediction model for patients with carotid plaques by combining clinical indicators of patients and ultrasonic multimodal imaging data. 3. To screen ultrasonic imaging indicators for predicting cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events.

Current understanding suggests that the majority of cardiovascular events are driven by vulnerable plaques. Nonetheless, the impact of PCSK9 inhibitors on the stability of carotid plaques remains insufficiently elucidated, with a notable scarcity of relevant clinical studies. This investigation seeks to address this gap through a real-world study conducted among patients with arterial sclerosis in Asia. The primary aim is to evaluate the effects of small interfering RNA (inclisiran) on carotid plaque characteristics as assessed by ultrasound, thereby contributing valuable data to inform clinical practice.