Cohort profile: BIOVASC-late, a prospective multicentred study of imaging and blood biomarkers of carotid plaque inflammation and risk of late vascular recurrence after non-severe stroke in Ireland.

The primary aim of BIOVASC-Late is to investigate the association between SUVmax in symptomatic 'culprit' carotid plaque (as a marker of systemic inflammatory atherosclerosis) and the composite outcome of any late major vascular event (recurrent ischaemic stroke, coronary event or vascular death). Secondary aims are to investigate associations between: (1) SUVmax in symptomatic plaque, and individual vascular endpoints (2) SUVmax in asymptomatic contralateral carotid plaque and SUVmax in ipsilateral symptomatic plaque (3) SUVmax in asymptomatic carotid plaque and major vascular events (4) inflammatory cytokines and vascular events.