Background
Functional magnetic resonance (MR) imaging of atheroma using contrast media enables
assessment of the systemic severity of atherosclerosis in different arterial beds.
Whether black-blood imaging has similar ability remains widely unexplored. In this
study, we evaluate whether black-blood imaging can differentiate carotid plaques of
patients with and without coronary artery disease (CAD) in terms of morphological
and biomechanical features of plaque vulnerability, thereby allowing assessment of
the systemic severity nature of atherosclerosis in different arterial beds.
Methods
Forty-one patients with CAD and 59 patients without CAD underwent carotid black-blood
MR imaging. Plaque components were segmented to identify large lipid core (LC), ruptured
fibrous cap (FC), and plaque hemorrhage (PH). These segmented contours of plaque components
were used to quantify maximum structural biomechanical stress.
Results
Patients with CAD and without CAD had comparable demographics and comorbidities. Both
groups had comparable prevalence of morphological features of plaque vulnerability
(FC rupture, 44% versus 41%, P = .90; PH, 58% versus 47%, P = .78; large LC, 32% versus 47%, P = .17), respectively. The maximum biomechanical stress was not significantly different
for both groups (241versus 278 kPa, P = .14) respectively.
Conclusions
Black-blood imaging does not appear to have the ability to differentiate between the
morphological and biomechanical features of plaque vulnerability when comparing patients
with and without symptomatic atherosclerotic disease in a distant arterial territory
such as coronary artery.
Key Words
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: October 17, 2016
Accepted:
September 15,
2016
Received in revised form:
July 24,
2016
Received:
March 19,
2016
Footnotes
A.U. received funding from Mountbatten Cambridge International Scholarship in collaboration with Cambridge Trust, Christ's College, and Sir Ernest Cassel Education Trust. U.S. received funding from a Royal College of Surgeons of England/Medical Research Council (United Kingdom) clinical research training fellowship at the time when the study was conducted. This study was supported by NIHR Biomedical Research Centre.
Identification
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jstrokecerebrovasdis.2016.09.028
Copyright
© 2017 National Stroke Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
