In vivo quantitative measurement of intact fibrous cap and lipid-rich necrotic core size in atherosclerotic carotid plaque : Comparison of high-resolution, contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging and histology

Previous studies with contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (CEMRI) have shown that the fibrous cap (FC) in atherosclerotic carotid plaques enhances with gadolinium-based contrast agents. Conversely, the lipid-rich necrotic core (LR-NC), lacking both vasculature and matrix, shows no or only s...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Circulation (New York, N.Y.) N.Y.), 2005-11, Vol.112 (22), p.3437-3444
Main Authors: JIANMING CAI, HATSUKAMI, Thomas S, FERGUSON, Marina S, KERWIN, William S, SAAM, Tobias, BAOCHENG CHU, TAKAYA, Norihide, POLISSAR, Nayak L, CHUN YUAN
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Atherosclerosis (general aspects, experimental research)
Atherosclerosis - pathology
Biological and medical sciences
Blood and lymphatic vessels
Cardiology. Vascular system
Carotid Artery Diseases - pathology
Contrast Media
Diseases of the peripheral vessels. Diseases of the vena cava. Miscellaneous
Female
Gadolinium
General and cellular metabolism. Vitamins
Histological Techniques
Humans
Lipids
Magnetic Resonance Imaging - methods
Magnetic Resonance Imaging - standards
Male
Medical sciences
Middle Aged
Necrosis
Pharmacology. Drug treatments
Reproducibility of Results
Citations: Items that this one cites
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Previous studies with contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (CEMRI) have shown that the fibrous cap (FC) in atherosclerotic carotid plaques enhances with gadolinium-based contrast agents. Conversely, the lipid-rich necrotic core (LR-NC), lacking both vasculature and matrix, shows no or only slight enhancement. The goal of this study was to assess whether CEMRI can be used to accurately measure the dimensions of the intact FC and LR-NC. Twenty-one patients scheduled for carotid endarterectomy were imaged with a 1.5-T scanner. Precontrast images and CEMRI were obtained. One hundred eight locations with an intact FC were matched between MRI and the excised histology specimens. Quantitative measurements of FC length along the lumen circumference, FC area, and LR-NC area were collected from CEMRI images and histology sections. Blinded comparison of corresponding MR images and histology slices showed moderate to good correlation for length (r=0.73, P
ISSN:0009-7322
1524-4539
DOI:10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.104.528174