OBJECTIVE: To compare the therapeutic effects of rosuvastatin and atorvastatin on neovascularization of carotid plaques using contrast-enhanced ultrasound. Methods: Patients with carotid artery soft plaques were treated with rosuvastatin 10 mg/d or atorvastatin 20 mg/d for 6 months. The level of serum lipid, routine ultrasound and contrast-enhanced ultrasound were used to evaluate therapeutic effects before and after treatment. Results: A total of 80 plaques were enrolled. The total cholesterol(TC), triglycerides(TG) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-C) levels in the rosuvastatin group and the atorvastatin group were significantly lower than those before treatment (P<0.05). The TC and LDL-C in the rosuvastatin group were significantly lower than those in astorvastatin group (P<0.05), but there was no significant difference in TG between the two groups (P> 0.05). The plaque score, enhanced intensity(EI) and area under the time-intensity curve(AUC) in the rosuvastatin group and the atorvastatin group were significantly lower than those before treatment (P<0.05). The plaque score, EI and AUC of rosuvastatin group were also significantly lower than those of atorvastatin group (P<0.05). Conclusion: Rosuvastatin and atorvastatin have definite lipid-lowering effect, and can effectively reduce the neovascularization in carotid plaques. And the effect of rosuvastatin is stronger than that of atorvastatin.