Stroke Prevention
In the mid-1990s Nicolaides developed the method of normalizing ultrasonic vascular images so that reproducible measurements of echodensity and texture can be made.
He was the organizer and coordinator of the multicentre Asymptomatic Carotid Stenosis and Risk of Stroke (ACSRS) prospective natural history study. On the basis of this study and the work on plaque characterization it has become possible to identify a high risk group of patients with asymptomatic carotid stenosis (5.5% stroke rate per year), but most important has been the identification of a low risk group with an annual stroke risk of less than 1%, that can be spared from unnecessary intervention.
His more recent research is focused on the identification of bio-markers, both biochemical and genetic, that are associated with unstable atherosclerotic plaques. The multidisciplinary approach combining angiography, high-resolution ultrasound, thrombolytic therapy, plaque pathology, histochemistry, coagulation studies, and more recently molecular biology has led to the realisation that carotid plaque rupture is a key mechanism underlying the development of cerebrovascular events.
Read more about this topic: Andrew Nicolaides, Academic Work
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