Programme Introduction
About this programme
🩺 Medical CME
✅ Case-Based Learning
📊 Guideline-Aligned
Carotid artery plaque imaging has become a central tool in stroke-risk assessment, moving the field beyond simple measurement of luminal narrowing toward a fuller picture of plaque composition, stability, and vulnerability. This programme focuses specifically on the imaging methods used to characterise carotid plaque — duplex ultrasound (DUS), computed tomography angiography (CTA), and magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) — and how each modality reveals different structural and compositional features of atherosclerotic disease.
Distinguishing a stable, fibrous plaque from one with a thin or ruptured cap, intraplaque haemorrhage, or a large lipid core carries direct implications for whether a patient is managed medically or referred for intervention. Radiologists, vascular surgeons, and neurology teams increasingly rely on these imaging findings jointly with degree-of-stenosis measurements to refine individual stroke risk beyond what luminal narrowing alone can tell them.
TerraLeap’s programme walks learners through the physical principles, acquisition protocols, and interpretive pitfalls of each plaque-imaging technique, using annotated case material to build pattern recognition for high-risk plaque features. It also addresses how findings from different modalities are reconciled when they disagree, and how imaging reports should be framed to support multidisciplinary decision-making.
By the end of the programme, learners are equipped to select an appropriate plaque-imaging strategy for a given clinical question, interpret DUS, CTA, and MRA findings with confidence, and communicate plaque-vulnerability assessments in a way that directly informs stroke-prevention decisions.
Guideline-aligned reasoning — built through real clinical case discussion.
Programme Scope
What this programme covers
The curriculum spans the full toolkit used to characterise carotid plaque, from bedside duplex scanning through cross-sectional angiographic techniques.
🩺
Duplex ultrasound technique
Grey-scale and colour Doppler protocols for visualising plaque surface, echogenicity, and flow disturbance at the carotid bifurcation.
🧠
Plaque echolucency & stability
Reading grey-scale median scores and echolucent zones as markers of a lipid-rich, unstable plaque.
📊
CTA plaque characterisation
Using Hounsfield-unit density mapping to differentiate calcified, fibrous, and lipid components on CT angiography.
🧲
MRA & plaque MRI sequences
Identifying intraplaque haemorrhage, lipid-rich necrotic core, and fibrous cap thickness on dedicated vessel-wall sequences.
⚖️
Comparing modalities
Weighing the accessibility of ultrasound against the anatomical detail of CTA and MRA when findings conflict.
🩻
Ulceration & surface irregularity
Recognising surface ulceration and thrombus formation as imaging correlates of embolic risk.
📋
Structured reporting
Writing plaque-imaging reports that clearly communicate vulnerability features to referring clinicians.
🔄
Serial surveillance imaging
Using repeat imaging to track plaque progression or regression over time in monitored patients.
Learning Objectives
What you will achieve
This programme is built around practical imaging competencies rather than abstract theory, so every objective ties back to a decision you will need to make while reviewing a carotid plaque study.
By working through protocol walkthroughs and annotated cases across DUS, CTA, and MRA, you will build a transferable framework for plaque-vulnerability assessment.
01
Select the right modality for a given clinical question, balancing accessibility, cost, and diagnostic detail.
02
Grade plaque echogenicity on duplex ultrasound and relate it to plaque stability.
03
Interpret CTA density patterns to separate calcified, fibrous, and lipid plaque components.
04
Recognise MRA vulnerability markers, including intraplaque haemorrhage and thin or ruptured fibrous caps.
05
Reconcile discordant findings across imaging modalities in a single patient.
06
Identify surface ulceration and thrombus as embolic-risk indicators on imaging.
07
Write structured, decision-relevant reports that translate imaging findings into actionable guidance.
08
Plan surveillance intervals for serial plaque imaging in monitored patients.
Target Audience
Who can enroll
This programme on carotid plaque imaging is designed for radiologists, vascular surgeons, and neurology specialists who regularly order, perform, or interpret carotid duplex, CTA, or MRA studies as part of stroke-risk assessment.
It is equally relevant to sonographers, imaging trainees, and multidisciplinary stroke-team members who need a working understanding of plaque vulnerability features to contribute effectively to management discussions.
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Radiologists reporting carotid duplex, CTA, or MRA studies.
🫀
Vascular surgeons deciding between medical management and intervention.
🧠
Neurologists integrating plaque findings into stroke-prevention plans.
🧑⚕️
Sonographers and imaging technologists performing carotid duplex scans.
🎓
Radiology and vascular-surgery trainees building imaging interpretation skills.
🏥
Multidisciplinary stroke-unit teams coordinating imaging-guided care.
Programme Certification
Your certificate
Upon successful completion of this programme, you will receive a digital certificate recognising your achievement and the competencies you have acquired throughout the course.
Certificates for TerraLeap programmes are issued and signed by authorised TerraLeap representatives. For programmes delivered in collaboration with universities, institutions, or industry organisations, certificates are jointly issued and co-signed by authorised representatives of both TerraLeap and the respective partner.
Each certificate carries a unique Certificate ID and QR code to enable instant authenticity verification — making it easy to share with employers, licensing bodies, or professional networks as evidence of your learning.
Note on scope. TerraLeap certificates confirm successful completion of the respective programme and recognise your professional development and continuing education. They do not constitute a professional licence or regulatory authorisation unless explicitly stated in the programme description.
TERRALEAP
Certificate ID
TL-2026-AB7K3X9P
Official
Seal
Certificate of Completion
Successfully Completed
Awarded in recognition of academic achievement
This is to certify that
XXXXX
has successfully completed the prescribed course of study, demonstrating commitment, diligence, and proficiency in
Plaque imaging methods for Carotid Artery disease
and is hereby awarded this certificate by TerraLeap, recognising the candidate's mastery of the syllabus and successful evaluation.