Gray-Weale Carotid Plaque Type (Ultrasound Echogenicity)
The Gray-Weale classification of carotid plaque echogenicity on B-mode ultrasound, in four types.
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Example
- The plaque's appearance on B-mode ultrasound
- 1
Result: Gray-Weale Type 1 (echolucent): uniformly echolucent plaque.
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What the result means
- Type 1
- Uniformly echolucent, typically beneath a thin echogenic cap.
- Type 2
- Predominantly echolucent, with small areas of echogenicity.
- Type 3
- Predominantly echogenic, with small areas of echolucency.
- Type 4
- Uniformly echogenic, including the extensively calcified plaque.
- Grouping
- Types 1 and 2 are echolucent, types 3 and 4 echogenic. Echolucent plaque has been associated with symptomatic disease at the group level.
- Not stenosis
- A different axis from the degree of stenosis, and not an indication for carotid endarterectomy or stenting.
What you enter
- The plaque's appearance on B-mode ultrasound
Full field descriptions
- The plaque's appearance on B-mode ultrasound [1 = Uniformly echolucent, typically beneath a thin echogenic cap. 2 = Predominantly echolucent, with small areas of echogenicity. 3 = Predominantly echogenic, with small areas of echolucency. 4 = Uniformly echogenic, including the extensively calcified plaque.]
How this is calculated
Gray-Weale AC, Graham JC, Burnett JR, Byrne K, Lusby RJ. Carotid artery atheroma: comparison of preoperative B-mode ultrasound appearance with carotid endarterectomy specimen pathology. J Cardiovasc Surg (Torino). 1988;29(6):676-681. Read the source ↗
A reference and educational tool. Not medical, legal, or financial advice, and not a substitute for clinician judgment.