Chronic kidney disease is linked to carotid nodular calcification, an unstable plaque not correlated to inflammation

The incidence and the different type of carotid calcifications, nodular and non-nodular, and their role in the acute cerebrovascular disease has not yet been defined. Various studies have correlated the presence of specific risk factors, in particular the chronic kidney disease, with the presence of calcification, but not with the type of calcification. Since it is likely that carotid nodular calcifications rather than those with non-nodular aspect may represent a plaque at high risk of rupture, the purpose of our study was to evaluate the role of nodular calcification in the pathogenesis of cerebrovascular syndromes and their possible correlation with specific risk factors. A total of 168 carotid plaques from symptomatic and asymptomatic patients submitted to endarterectomy, whom complete clinical and laboratory assessment of major cardiovascular risk factors was available, were studied. In 21 endarterectomies (5 from symptomatic and 16 from asymptomatic patients) an eruptive calcified nodule, consisting of calcified plates associated to a small amount of fibrous tissue without extracellular lipids and inflammatory cells, was found protruding into the lumen. Nodular calcifications were significantly observed in patients affected by chronic kidney disease (with GFR<60 ml / min / 1.73 m(2)), with a normal lipidic and glycemic profile. On the contrary, non-nodular calcification, mainly correlated to diabetes, were stable lesions. Results of our study suggest that the mechanisms and the clinical significance of carotid atherosclerotic calcification may be different. The nodular calcification could represent a type of unstable plaque, significantly related to chronic kidney disease, without inflammation, morphologically different from the classical vulnerable plaques.