Impact of the Age of Plaque Haemorrhage on Plaque Stress in Patients with Symptomatic Carotid Artery Disease- A Patient Specific Magnetic Resonance Imaging-Based Finite Element Method Simulation Study

Umar Sadat¹, Zhongzhao Z. Teng², Zhi Yong Li², Cheng Cheng Zhu², Victoria E. Young², Martin J. Graves², Jonathan H. Gillard²

Patients suffering from a transient ischemic attack (TIA) are at high risk of recurrent TIAs, particularly within the first 4 weeks. The risk of recurrent thromboembolic events gradually decreases afterwards. The United Kingdom National Stroke Strategy warrants emergency management of high-risk patients. High resolution magnetic resonance can assist us to identify high-risk plaques and assess the morphological and biomechanical changes within plaques using computational simulations, thereby refining our risk stratification criteria for management of high-risk patients. In this study we assess the impact of age of plaque haemorrhage on plaque stress in patients suffering from TIAs.