Carotid atherosclerotic plaque is an important cause of ischemic stroke, causes about 30% stroke/TIA attacks. Patients with carotid stenosis face an escalated risk of MI, PAD, and death. Treatments for patients with carotid plaque include lifestyle changes, medical management(such as control of hyperlipidemia, hypertension, and diabetes) and carotid revascularization(carotid endarterectomy or carotid artery stenting). Studies have suggested that plaque morphology and composition are important determinants of plaque stability, using serial MR imaging of the carotid artery allowed observation of changes in plaque composition. Contrast enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) is a well accepted technique for detection of intraplaque neovascularization(IPN) in carotid atherosclerotic disease.~The aim of this trial is to assess the safety and efficacy of SDT. The SDT can induce macrophage elimination and inhibiting matrix degradation, which will promote plaque lipid depletion, inflammation level decrease and changes in other plaque tissue components, leading to plaque stabilization and reduction.~An estimated 80 eligible patients will be randomly divided into two groups: optimal medical care (OMC) combined with pseudo-SDT and OMC combined with SDT. Recruitment will be performed over 1 year and patients will be followed for 3 months; the anticipated total study duration will be 2 years.
Sonodynamic therapy (SDT) is a new treatment for carotid atherosclerotic plaque. The aim of this study is to assess the safety and efficacy of this technique.