Atherosclerosis is one of the most serious cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases threatening human health. It has become a hot topic of medical research to elucidate the mechanism of atherosclerosis and prevent atherosclerosis. Carotid atherosclerosis can reflect the whole body atherosclerosis plaque development in a certain extent, the location of the carotid artery is shallow, and it is easy to detect and examine, which has been proved to be a "window" to understand and evaluate the whole body atherosclerosis. Confirmed by research, endothelial progenitor cells can repair the damaged endometrium, delay the development of atherosclerosis. In this paper, the number and function of endothelial progenitor cells in patients with carotid atherosclerosis and the role of endothelial progenitor cells in the development of the disease are generalized and summarized, providing new strategies for the treatment and prevention of atherosclerosis.