The aim of this study was to investigate the diagnostic value of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) based on the K-means clustering (KMC) algorithm for the vulnerability of carotid atherosclerotic plaque (CAA). In this study, 90 patients with CAA were enrolled into a control group (group A) and an experimental group (group B). The angiography method and KMC-based ultrasound detection were applied to diagnose the CAA patients from the two groups, respectively. The results showed that the sensitivity, specificity, and positive predictive value of patients from group B (92.3%, 90.1%, and 94.8%) for diagnosing CAA were obviously higher than those of patients from group A (81.4%, 88.6%, and 75.3%) (). The detection rate of patients from group B (83%, 85%) was dramatically higher than that of patients from group A (65%, 71%) in terms of artery bifurcation and CAA (). Besides, patients from group B were more satisfied with their diagnostic method than group A (). In conclusion, the ultrasound detection method based on KMC had high sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy in the detection of CAA. In addition, ultrasound detection was better than angiography in the diagnosis of plaque in different parts, and it was worthwhile to apply the ultrasound detection method based on KMC in clinical practice.

中文翻译：

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使用对比增强超声图像基于 K 均值聚类算法检测颈动脉粥样硬化斑块

本研究的目的是研究基于K均值聚类 (KMC) 算法的对比增强超声 (CEUS)对颈动脉粥样硬化斑块 (CAA) 易损性的诊断价值。本研究将 90 名 CAA 患者纳入对照组（A 组）和实验组（B 组）。分别应用血管造影法和基于KMC的超声检测对两组CAA患者进行诊断。结果显示，B组患者（92.3%、90.1%和94.8%）诊断CAA的敏感性、特异性和阳性预测值明显高于A组患者（81.4%、88.6%和94.8%）。 75.3%) (）。B组患者的动脉分叉和CAA检出率（83%、85%）显着高于A组患者（65%、71%）。）。此外，B组患者对诊断方法的满意度高于A组（）。综上所述，基于KMC的超声检测方法对CAA的检测具有较高的灵敏度、特异性和准确性。此外，超声检测对不同部位斑块的诊断优于血管造影，值得在临床实践中应用基于KMC的超声检测方法。