Crombag GAJC, et al. - In this study involving 88 patients who recently suffered a transient ischemic attack or ischemic stroke and have ipsilateral >2 mm carotid plaque, researchers used noninvasive dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging to determine if plaque microvasculature (the volume transfer coefficient K^trans) differed between the ipsilateral symptomatic and contralateral asymptomatic carotid plaque. They detected plaque components as well as features of plaque microvasculature by using 3 T magnetic resonance imaging. Symptomatic carotid plaques exhibited significantly lower K^trans, indicative for a decrease of plaque microvasculature in symptomatic plaques. A possible association of this with a larger amount of necrotic tissue in symptomatic plaques was suggested.