Some of my friends had a checkup and the ultrasound showed: carotid plaque. They are very anxious to see their doctor to ask how to remove the plaque? Do I need to put a stent or have a surgical incision to remove it? First of all, there are many causes of carotid plaque, such as age, gender, family history, high total cholesterol, hyperlipidemia, obesity, hypertension, diabetes, smoking and so on. Carotid plaque is all local manifestation of atherosclerosis in the carotid artery, which means that carotid intima thickening or carotid plaque formation is indicative of systemic atherosclerosis formation. The current medical level of atherosclerosis cannot be reversed, therefore, it is impossible to eliminate the plaque. However, oral aspirin can be taken to stabilize the plaque and inhibit its development. Since the plaque is the early stage of carotid atherosclerosis stenosis, stent placement or surgical debridement is not needed for the time being. Carotid plaque is very common among middle-aged and elderly people, and there is no need to worry too much about it. However, it is a signal to alert us that we need to pay attention. Here are some suggestions: 1. Active control of risk factors: for example, hypertensive patients should control their blood pressure below 140/90 mmHg, and long-acting antihypertensive drugs are recommended; diabetic patients should control their blood sugar in the normal range; hyperlipidemic patients should use lipid-lowering drugs according to individual conditions to lower their blood lipids to the ideal level, etc. 2.Healthy diet: low salt and low fat diet, ensure daily intake of fresh vegetables and fruits, and eat more cereals and legumes. 3.Appropriate physical exercise. 4.Adhere to taking aspirin, if you have gastric ulcer or other gastric diseases, it is recommended to add drugs to protect the gastric mucosa. 5.Revisit carotid ultrasound once in six months~1 year to see the plaque condition. 6.Check the blood lipid regularly and adjust the lipid-lowering drugs, and don’t forget to check the liver function, many lipid-lowering drugs affect the liver function.