Nardi V, Benson J, Bois MC, et al. - Findings could imply that intraplaque hemorrhage (IPH) potentially has a role in the mechanism of stroke in patients having nonobstructive carotid stenosis.

• This study comprised patients who had ischemic cerebrovascular events with no other identifiable sources and had carotid endarterectomy for mild (<50%) (n=32), moderate (50%–69%) (n=47), and severe (≥70%) (n=58) carotid artery stenosis.

• A higher extent of IPH (%), on tissue analysis, was detected in carotid plaques of patients with mild stenosis vs those with moderate (mild, 15.7%; moderate, 3.9%; P<0.001) and severe carotid artery stenosis (mild, 15.7%; severe, 2.5%; P<0.001).

• A lower lumen narrowing was related to higher extent of IPH, when considering the degree of carotid artery stenosis as a continuous variable.

• Notably, IPH was found to be associated with mild carotid artery stenosis based on histological analysis.