Human carotid plaque risk imaging using multiparametric photoacoustic and ultrasound fusion (hCAPRI).

hCAPRI, a multiparametric photoacoustic–ultrasound fusion method for 171 carotid arteries, classifies high-risk carotid plaque with 89% sensitivity and 84% specificity.

• Why it matters: Risk assessment for carotid plaque rupture is constrained because existing imaging cannot deliver plaque composition and structural information together in real time.
• What they did: The approach fuses photoacoustic imaging of intraplaque hemorrhage size and methemoglobin content with ultrasound measures of stenosis severity, calcification, and plaque thickness, then computes an hCAPRI score. It was evaluated in 171 carotid arteries from 120 patients and validated in 36 arteries against MRI.
• The result: In the MRI-validated subset, hCAPRI showed high agreement with MRI and enables low-cost, real-time, contrast-free carotid plaque risk imaging.

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