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Patel A, Abdalla RN, Allaw S, Cantrell DR, Shaibani A, Caprio F, Hasan DM, Alaraj A, Polster SP, Carroll TJ, Ansari SA. Temporal Changes on Postgadolinium MR Vessel Wall Imaging Captures Enhancement Kinetics of Intracranial Atherosclerotic Plaques and Aneurysms. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol 2024:ajnr.A8370. [PMID: 39054289 DOI: 10.3174/ajnr.a8370] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2023] [Accepted: 03/05/2024] [Indexed: 07/27/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Analysis of vessel wall contrast kinetics (ie, wash-in/washout) is a promising method for the diagnosis and risk-stratification of intracranial atherosclerotic disease plaque (ICAD-P) and the intracranial aneurysm walls (IA-W). We used black-blood MR imaging or MR vessel wall imaging to evaluate the temporal relationship of gadolinium contrast uptake kinetics in ICAD-Ps and IA-Ws compared with normal anatomic reference structures. MATERIALS AND METHODS Patients with ICAD-Ps or IAs who underwent MR vessel wall imaging with precontrast, early postcontrast (5-15 minutes), and delayed postcontrast (20-30 minutes) 3D T1-weighted TSE sequences were retrospectively studied. ROIs of a standardized diameter (2 mm) were used to measure the signal intensities of the cavernous sinus, pituitary infundibulum, temporalis muscle, and choroid plexus. Point ROIs were used for ICAD-Ps and IA-Ws. All ROI signal intensities were normalized to white matter signal intensity obtained using ROIs of 10-mm diameter. Measurements were acquired on precontrast, early postcontrast, and delayed postcontrast 3D T1 TSE sequences for each patient. RESULTS Ten patients with 17 symptomatic ICAD-Ps and 30 patients with 34 IA-Ws were included and demonstrated persisting contrast uptake (P < .001) of 7.21% and 10.54% beyond the early phase (5-15 minutes postcontrast) and in the delayed phase (20-30 minutes postcontrast) on postcontrast MR vessel wall imaging. However, normal anatomic reference structures including the pituitary infundibulum and cavernous sinus demonstrated a paradoxical contrast washout in the delayed phase. In both ICAD-Ps and IA-Ws, the greatest percentage of quantitative enhancement (>70%-90%) occurred in the early phase of postcontrast imaging, consistent with the rapid contrast uptake kinetics of neurovascular pathology. CONCLUSIONS Using standard MR vessel wall imaging techniques, our results demonstrate the effects of gadolinium contrast uptake kinetics in ICAD-Ps and IA-Ws with extended accumulating enhancement into the delayed phase (> 15 minutes) as opposed to normal anatomic reference structures that conversely exhibit decreasing enhancement. Because these relative differences are used to assess qualitative patterns of ICAD-P and IA-W enhancement, our findings highlight the importance of standardizing acquisition time points and MR vessel wall imaging protocols to interpret pathologic enhancement for the risk stratification of cerebrovascular pathologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abhinav Patel
- From the Department of Radiology, (A.P., R.N.A., D.R.C., A.S., S.A.A.), Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Ramez N Abdalla
- From the Department of Radiology, (A.P., R.N.A., D.R.C., A.S., S.A.A.), Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois
- Department of Radiology (R.N.A.), Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Sammy Allaw
- Department of Radiology (S.A., T.J.C.), University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Donald R Cantrell
- From the Department of Radiology, (A.P., R.N.A., D.R.C., A.S., S.A.A.), Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois
- Department of Neurology (D.R.C., A.S., F.C., S.A.A.), Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Ali Shaibani
- From the Department of Radiology, (A.P., R.N.A., D.R.C., A.S., S.A.A.), Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois
- Department of Neurology (D.R.C., A.S., F.C., S.A.A.), Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois
- Department of Neurological Surgery (A.S., S.A.A.), Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Frances Caprio
- Department of Neurology (D.R.C., A.S., F.C., S.A.A.), Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois
| | - David M Hasan
- Department of Neurological Surgery (D.M.H.), Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Ali Alaraj
- Department of Neurosurgery, College of Medicine (A.A.), University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Sean P Polster
- Department of Neurological Surgery (S.P.P.), University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Timothy J Carroll
- Department of Radiology (S.A., T.J.C.), University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Sameer A Ansari
- From the Department of Radiology, (A.P., R.N.A., D.R.C., A.S., S.A.A.), Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois
- Department of Neurology (D.R.C., A.S., F.C., S.A.A.), Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois
- Department of Neurological Surgery (A.S., S.A.A.), Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois
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Zhou A, Leach JR, Zhu C, Dong H, Jiang F, Lee YJ, Iannuzzi J, Gasper W, Saloner D, Hope MD, Mitsouras D. Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced MRI in Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms as a Potential Marker for Disease Progression. J Magn Reson Imaging 2023; 58:1258-1267. [PMID: 36747321 DOI: 10.1002/jmri.28640] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2022] [Revised: 01/24/2023] [Accepted: 01/26/2023] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) may rupture before reaching maximum diameter (Dmax ) thresholds for repair. Aortic wall microvasculature has been associated with elastin content and rupture sites in specimens, but its relation to progression is unknown. PURPOSE To investigate whether dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) MRI of AAA is associated with Dmax or growth. STUDY TYPE Prospective. POPULATION A total of 27 male patients with infrarenal AAA (mean age ± standard deviation = 75 ± 5 years) under surveillance with DCE MRI and 2 years of prior follow-up intervals with computed tomography (CT) or MRI. FIELD STRENGTH/SEQUENCE A 3-T, dynamic three-dimensional (3D) fast gradient-echo stack-of-stars volumetric interpolated breath-hold examination (Star-VIBE). ASSESSMENT Wall voxels were manually segmented in two consecutive slices at the level of Dmax . We measured slope to 1-minute and area under the curve (AUC) to 1 minute and 4 minutes of the signal intensity change postcontrast relative to that precontrast arrival, and, Ktrans , a measure of microvascular permeability, using the Patlak model. These were averaged over all wall voxels for association to Dmax and growth rate, and, over left/right and anterior/posterior quadrants for testing circumferential homogeneity. Dmax was measured orthogonal to the aortic centerline and growth rate was calculated by linear fit of Dmax measurements. STATISTICAL TESTS Pearson correlation and linear mixed effects models. A P value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS In 44 DCE MRIs, mean Dmax was 45 ± 7 mm and growth rate in 1.5 ± 0.4 years of prior follow-up was 1.7 ± 1.2 mm per year. DCE measurements correlated with each other (Pearson r = 0.39-0.99) and significantly differed between anterior/posterior versus left/right quadrants. DCE measurements were not significantly associated with Dmax (P = 0.084, 0.289, 0.054 and 0.255 for slope, AUC at 1 minute and 4 minutes, and Ktrans , respectively). Slope and 4 minutes AUC significantly associated with growth rate after controlling for Dmax . CONCLUSION Contrast uptake may be increased in lateral aspects of the AAA. Contrast enhancement 1-minute slope and 4-minutes AUC may be associated with a period of recent AAA growth that is independent of Dmax . EVIDENCE LEVEL 3. TECHNICAL EFFICACY Stage 2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ang Zhou
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
- San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Joseph R Leach
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
- San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Chengcheng Zhu
- Department of Radiology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Huiming Dong
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
- San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Fei Jiang
- Department of Biostatistics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Yoo Jin Lee
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - James Iannuzzi
- San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center, San Francisco, California, USA
- Department of Surgery, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Warren Gasper
- San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center, San Francisco, California, USA
- Department of Surgery, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - David Saloner
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
- San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Michael D Hope
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
- San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Dimitrios Mitsouras
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
- San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center, San Francisco, California, USA
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Gomyo M, Tsuchiya K, Yokoyama K. Vessel Wall Imaging of Intracranial Arteries: Fundamentals and Clinical Applications. Magn Reson Med Sci 2023; 22:447-458. [PMID: 36328569 PMCID: PMC10552670 DOI: 10.2463/mrms.rev.2021-0140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2021] [Accepted: 08/11/2022] [Indexed: 10/03/2023] Open
Abstract
With the increasing use of 3-tesla MRI scanners and the development of applicable sequences, it has become possible to achieve high-resolution, good contrast imaging, which has enabled the imaging of the walls of small-diameter intracranial arteries. In recent years, the usefulness of vessel wall imaging has been reported for numerous intracranial arterial diseases, such as for the detection of vulnerable plaque in atherosclerosis, diagnosis of cerebral arterial dissection, prediction of the rupture of cerebral aneurysms, and status of moyamoya disease and cerebral vasculitis. In this review, we introduce the histological characteristics of the intracranial artery, discuss intracranial vessel wall imaging methods, and review the findings of vessel wall imaging for various major intracranial arterial diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miho Gomyo
- Department of Radiology, Faculty of Medicine, Kyorin University, Mitaka, Tokyo, Japan
| | | | - Kenichi Yokoyama
- Department of Radiology, Faculty of Medicine, Kyorin University, Mitaka, Tokyo, Japan
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Fernández-Alvarez V, Linares-Sánchez M, Suárez C, López F, Guntinas-Lichius O, Mäkitie AA, Bradley PJ, Ferlito A. Novel Imaging-Based Biomarkers for Identifying Carotid Plaque Vulnerability. Biomolecules 2023; 13:1236. [PMID: 37627301 PMCID: PMC10452902 DOI: 10.3390/biom13081236] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2023] [Revised: 07/30/2023] [Accepted: 08/07/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Carotid artery disease has traditionally been assessed based on the degree of luminal narrowing. However, this approach, which solely relies on carotid stenosis, is currently being questioned with regard to modern risk stratification approaches. Recent guidelines have introduced the concept of the "vulnerable plaque," emphasizing specific features such as thin fibrous caps, large lipid cores, intraplaque hemorrhage, plaque rupture, macrophage infiltration, and neovascularization. In this context, imaging-based biomarkers have emerged as valuable tools for identifying higher-risk patients. Non-invasive imaging modalities and intravascular techniques, including ultrasound, computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, intravascular ultrasound, optical coherence tomography, and near-infrared spectroscopy, have played pivotal roles in characterizing and detecting unstable carotid plaques. The aim of this review is to provide an overview of the evolving understanding of carotid artery disease and highlight the significance of imaging techniques in assessing plaque vulnerability and informing clinical decision-making.
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Affiliation(s)
- Verónica Fernández-Alvarez
- Department of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery, Hospital Universitario de Cabueñes, 33394 Gijón, Spain;
| | - Miriam Linares-Sánchez
- Department of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery, Hospital Universitario de Cabueñes, 33394 Gijón, Spain;
| | - Carlos Suárez
- Instituto de Investigacion Sanitaria del Principado de Asturias, 33011 Oviedo, Spain; (C.S.); (F.L.)
| | - Fernando López
- Instituto de Investigacion Sanitaria del Principado de Asturias, 33011 Oviedo, Spain; (C.S.); (F.L.)
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Hospital Universitario Central de Asturias, Instituto Universitario de Oncologia del Principado de Asturias, University of Oviedo, CIBERONC, 33011 Oviedo, Spain
| | | | - Antti A. Mäkitie
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Helsinki University Hospital, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 263, 00029 Helsinki, Finland;
- Research Program in Systems Oncology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
- Division of Ear, Nose and Throat Diseases, Department of Clinical Sciences, Intervention and Technology, Karolinska Institute and Karolinska University Hospital, 17176 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Patrick J. Bradley
- Department of ORLHNS, Queens Medical Centre Campus, Nottingham University Hospitals, Derby Road, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK;
| | - Alfio Ferlito
- Coordinator of the International Head and Neck Scientific Group, 35100 Padua, Italy;
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Calcagno C, David JA, Motaal AG, Coolen BF, Beldman T, Corbin A, Kak A, Ramachandran S, Pruzan A, Sridhar A, Soler R, Faries CM, Fayad ZA, Mulder WJM, Strijkers GJ. Self-gated, dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging with compressed-sensing reconstruction for evaluating endothelial permeability in the aortic root of atherosclerotic mice. NMR IN BIOMEDICINE 2023; 36:e4823. [PMID: 36031706 PMCID: PMC10078106 DOI: 10.1002/nbm.4823] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2021] [Revised: 08/01/2022] [Accepted: 08/21/2022] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
High-risk atherosclerotic plaques are characterized by active inflammation and abundant leaky microvessels. We present a self-gated, dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) acquisition with compressed sensing reconstruction and apply it to assess longitudinal changes in endothelial permeability in the aortic root of Apoe-/- atherosclerotic mice during natural disease progression. Twenty-four, 8-week-old, female Apoe-/- mice were divided into four groups (n = 6 each) and imaged with self-gated DCE-MRI at 4, 8, 12, and 16 weeks after high-fat diet initiation, and then euthanized for CD68 immunohistochemistry for macrophages. Eight additional mice were kept on a high-fat diet and imaged longitudinally at the same time points. Aortic-root pseudo-concentration curves were analyzed using a validated piecewise linear model. Contrast agent wash-in and washout slopes (b1 and b2 ) were measured as surrogates of aortic root endothelial permeability and compared with macrophage density by immunohistochemistry. b2 , indicating contrast agent washout, was significantly higher in mice kept on an high-fat diet for longer periods of time (p = 0.03). Group comparison revealed significant differences between mice on a high-fat diet for 4 versus 16 weeks (p = 0.03). Macrophage density also significantly increased with diet duration (p = 0.009). Spearman correlation between b2 from DCE-MRI and macrophage density indicated a weak relationship between the two parameters (r = 0.28, p = 0.20). Validated piecewise linear modeling of the DCE-MRI data showed that the aortic root contrast agent washout rate is significantly different during disease progression. Further development of this technique from a single-slice to a 3D acquisition may enable better investigation of the relationship between in vivo imaging of endothelial permeability and atherosclerotic plaques' genetic, molecular, and cellular makeup in this important model of disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Calcagno
- Biomedical Engineering and Imaging InstituteIcahn School of Medicine at Mount SinaiNew YorkUSA
- Department of Diagnostic, Molecular and Interventional RadiologyIcahn School of Medicine at Mount SinaiNew YorkUSA
| | - John A. David
- Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Department of Medical Biochemistry, Amsterdam Cardiovascular SciencesUniversity of AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands
| | - Abdallah G. Motaal
- Siemens Healthineers, Cardiovascular Care Group, Advanced Therapies BusinessErlangenGermany
| | - Bram F. Coolen
- Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Department of Biomedical Engineering and Physics, Amsterdam Cardiovascular SciencesUniversity of AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands
| | - Thijs Beldman
- Department of Internal MedicineRadboud University Medical CenterNijmegenThe Netherlands
- Radboud Institute for Molecular Life SciencesRadboud University Medical CenterNijmegenThe Netherlands
| | - Alexandra Corbin
- Biomedical Engineering and Imaging InstituteIcahn School of Medicine at Mount SinaiNew YorkUSA
- Department of Diagnostic, Molecular and Interventional RadiologyIcahn School of Medicine at Mount SinaiNew YorkUSA
| | - Arnav Kak
- University of Texas Southwestern Medical CenterDallasTXUSA
| | - Sarayu Ramachandran
- Biomedical Engineering and Imaging InstituteIcahn School of Medicine at Mount SinaiNew YorkUSA
- Department of Diagnostic, Molecular and Interventional RadiologyIcahn School of Medicine at Mount SinaiNew YorkUSA
| | - Alison Pruzan
- Biomedical Engineering and Imaging InstituteIcahn School of Medicine at Mount SinaiNew YorkUSA
- Department of Diagnostic, Molecular and Interventional RadiologyIcahn School of Medicine at Mount SinaiNew YorkUSA
| | - Arthi Sridhar
- Department of Hematology/OncologyUTHealth McGovern Medical SchoolHoustonTXUSA
| | - Raphael Soler
- CNRS, CRMBMMarseilleFrance
- Department of Vascular and Endovascular SurgeryHôpital Universitaire de la Timone, APHMMarseilleFrance
| | - Christopher M. Faries
- Biomedical Engineering and Imaging InstituteIcahn School of Medicine at Mount SinaiNew YorkUSA
- Department of Diagnostic, Molecular and Interventional RadiologyIcahn School of Medicine at Mount SinaiNew YorkUSA
| | - Zahi A. Fayad
- Biomedical Engineering and Imaging InstituteIcahn School of Medicine at Mount SinaiNew YorkUSA
- Department of Diagnostic, Molecular and Interventional RadiologyIcahn School of Medicine at Mount SinaiNew YorkUSA
| | - Willem J. M. Mulder
- Biomedical Engineering and Imaging InstituteIcahn School of Medicine at Mount SinaiNew YorkUSA
- Department of Diagnostic, Molecular and Interventional RadiologyIcahn School of Medicine at Mount SinaiNew YorkUSA
- Department of Internal MedicineRadboud University Medical CenterNijmegenThe Netherlands
- Radboud Institute for Molecular Life SciencesRadboud University Medical CenterNijmegenThe Netherlands
| | - Gustav J. Strijkers
- Biomedical Engineering and Imaging InstituteIcahn School of Medicine at Mount SinaiNew YorkUSA
- Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Department of Biomedical Engineering and Physics, Amsterdam Cardiovascular SciencesUniversity of AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands
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Wang Y, Liu X, Wang Y, Qi H, Liu X, Kong X, Zhang Q, Dou J, Wang J, Chen H. Optimization of the Contrast Agent Injection Protocol for Carotid Artery Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging. J Magn Reson Imaging 2022; 56:1372-1381. [PMID: 35324034 DOI: 10.1002/jmri.28175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2022] [Accepted: 03/11/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The injection protocol used in previous carotid artery dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) studies varied. PURPOSE To investigate the effect of contrast injection protocol and optimize this protocol for carotid artery DCE-MRI. STUDY TYPE Prospective. SUBJECTS Digital phantom and seven patients with carotid atherosclerosis. FIELD STRENGTH/SEQUENCE 3 T, spoiled gradient recalled echo sequence. ASSESSMENT Different injection doses (0.01-0.3 mmol/kg) and effective injection rates (0.01-1 mmol/sec) were tested using a digital carotid plaque phantom considering the contrast pharmacokinetics, DCE-MRI imaging, contrast variation and flow-related imaging artifacts, random time delay between the contrast injection and image acquisition, and pharmacokinetic analysis process. For each injection protocol, combining the root mean square relative error (RMSRE) of the measured K trans and v P maps within the adventitial vasa vasorum from 10 tested time delays by the root mean square produced RMSREoverall-vv which was used to measure the overall accuracy of the pharmacokinetic parameters. In vivo validation was performed on seven patients with carotid atherosclerosis by imaging them twice using the traditional commonly used protocol and the recommended protocol found by simulation. STATISTICAL TEST Student's t-test, chi-square test, and paired t-test, P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS A low region of RMSREoverall-vv with the combination of medium injection dose and low effective injection rate was found. The protocol with injection dose of 0.07 mmol/kg and effective injection rate of 0.06 mmol/sec achieved the minimal RMSREoverall-vv (4.29%), thus was recommended, which showed more accurate arterial input function. Coinciding with the simulation results, this recommended protocol in in vivo experiments produced significantly fewer image artifacts, lower K trans and v P (P all <0.05) than traditional protocol which overestimated these parameters in simulation. DATA CONCLUSION The contrast injection protocol influenced the accuracy of the pharmacokinetics parameter estimation in carotid artery DCE-MRI. The injection protocol with injection dose of 0.07 mmol/kg and effective injection rate of 0.06 mmol/sec was recommended. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE 2 TECHNICAL EFFICACY STAGE: 1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yajie Wang
- Center for Biomedical Imaging Research, Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaoming Liu
- Department of Radiology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China.,Hubei Province Key Laboratory of Molecular Imaging, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | | | - Haikun Qi
- School of Biomedical Engineering, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, China
| | - Xian Liu
- Center for Biomedical Imaging Research, Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Xiangchuang Kong
- Department of Radiology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China.,Hubei Province Key Laboratory of Molecular Imaging, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Qiang Zhang
- Center for Biomedical Imaging Research, Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Jiaqi Dou
- Center for Biomedical Imaging Research, Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Jing Wang
- Department of Radiology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China.,Hubei Province Key Laboratory of Molecular Imaging, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Huijun Chen
- Center for Biomedical Imaging Research, Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
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Yang R, Yuan J, Chen X, Xie X, Ye Z, Qin C. Vessel wall magnetic resonance imaging of symptomatic middle cerebral artery atherosclerosis: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Clin Imaging 2022; 90:90-96. [DOI: 10.1016/j.clinimag.2022.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2022] [Revised: 07/18/2022] [Accepted: 08/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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Sun B, Ge X, Li X, Zhang J, Zhao Z, Liu X, Zhou Y, Xu J, Zhao H, Sun J. Elevated Hemoglobin A1c Is Associated With Leaky Plaque Neovasculature as Detected by Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol 2022; 42:504-513. [PMID: 35236109 DOI: 10.1161/atvbaha.121.317190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2020] [Accepted: 02/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Patients with diabetes have accelerated atherosclerosis progression, but the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. Dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging has allowed in vivo characterization of plaque neovasculature, which plays a critical role in plaque progression. We aimed to evaluate the impact of diabetes on carotid plaque neovasculature as assessed by dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging. METHODS Patients with recent ischemic stroke and ipsilateral carotid plaque underwent multicontrast magnetic resonance imaging for characterizing plaque morphology and dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging for pharmacokinetic parameters of plaque neovasculature, including transfer constant (Ktrans, reflecting flow, endothelial surface area, and permeability) and fractional plasma volume (νp). RESULTS Sixty-five patients were enrolled, including 30 patients with diabetes (years since diagnosis: median 5.0 [interquartile range, [3.0-12.0]) and 35 patients without diabetes. Subjects with diabetes had a greater plaque burden and a higher prevalence of high-risk characteristics. Additionally, carotid plaques in the subjects with diabetes showed higher Ktrans than those in the subjects without diabetes (0.100±0.048 min-1 versus 0.067±0.042 min-1, P=0.005) but νp was numerically lower in the subjects with diabetes (5.2±3.7% versus 6.2±4.3%, P=0.31). The association of diabetes with high Ktrans (β=0.033, P=0.005) was independent of patient and plaque characteristics and remained largely intact after adjusting for serum lipids, glucose, or hs-CRP (high-sensitivity C-reactive protein). However, it became nonexistent after adjusting for hemoglobin A1c (β=-0.010, P=0.49). CONCLUSIONS Dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging of carotid plaques suggested that plaque neovasculature in patients with diabetes is leaky, indicating enhanced capability of bringing blood constituents and facilitating extravasation of inflammatory cells, erythrocytes, and plasma proteins. Leaky plaque neovasculature correlated with hemoglobin A1c and may play a role in accelerated atherosclerosis progression in diabetes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beibei Sun
- Department of Radiology, Ren Ji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, China (B.S., X.G., X.L., J.Z., Z.Z., X.L., Y.Z., J.X., H.Z.)
| | - Xiaoqian Ge
- Department of Radiology, Ren Ji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, China (B.S., X.G., X.L., J.Z., Z.Z., X.L., Y.Z., J.X., H.Z.)
- Department of Radiology, Shandong Second Provincial General Hospital, Jinan, China (X.G.)
| | - Xiao Li
- Department of Radiology, Ren Ji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, China (B.S., X.G., X.L., J.Z., Z.Z., X.L., Y.Z., J.X., H.Z.)
- Department of Radiology, Shandong Second Provincial General Hospital, Jinan, China (X.G.)
| | - Jianjian Zhang
- Department of Radiology, Ren Ji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, China (B.S., X.G., X.L., J.Z., Z.Z., X.L., Y.Z., J.X., H.Z.)
| | - Zizhou Zhao
- Department of Radiology, Ren Ji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, China (B.S., X.G., X.L., J.Z., Z.Z., X.L., Y.Z., J.X., H.Z.)
| | - Xiaosheng Liu
- Department of Radiology, Ren Ji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, China (B.S., X.G., X.L., J.Z., Z.Z., X.L., Y.Z., J.X., H.Z.)
| | - Yan Zhou
- Department of Radiology, Ren Ji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, China (B.S., X.G., X.L., J.Z., Z.Z., X.L., Y.Z., J.X., H.Z.)
| | - Jianrong Xu
- Department of Radiology, Ren Ji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, China (B.S., X.G., X.L., J.Z., Z.Z., X.L., Y.Z., J.X., H.Z.)
| | - Huilin Zhao
- Department of Radiology, Ren Ji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, China (B.S., X.G., X.L., J.Z., Z.Z., X.L., Y.Z., J.X., H.Z.)
| | - Jie Sun
- Department of Radiology, University of Washington, Seattle (J.S.)
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A Predictive Model for the Risk of Posterior Circulation Stroke in Patients with Intracranial Atherosclerosis Based on High Resolution MRI. Diagnostics (Basel) 2022; 12:diagnostics12040812. [PMID: 35453860 PMCID: PMC9031625 DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics12040812] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2022] [Revised: 03/06/2022] [Accepted: 03/07/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Intracranial vertebrobasilar atherosclerosis is the main cause of posterior circulation ischemic stroke. We aimed to construct a predictive model for the risk of posterior circulation ischemic stroke in patients with posterior circulation atherosclerosis based on high-resolution MRI (HR-MRI). A total of 208 consecutive patients with posterior circulation atherosclerosis confirmed by HR-MRI, from January 2020 to July 2021, were retrospectively assessed. They were assigned to the posterior circulation stroke (49 patients) and non-posterior circulation stroke group (159 patients) based on clinical presentation and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI). Demographic data, risk factors of atherosclerosis, laboratory findings, and imaging characteristics were extracted from electronic health records. Plaque features were investigated by HR-MRI. Fifty-three clinical or imaging features were used to derive the model. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was employed to construct the prediction model. The nomogram was evaluated for calibration, differentiation, and clinical usefulness. Plaque enhancement, plaque irregular surface morphology, artery location of plaque, and dorsal quadrant of plaque location were significant predictors for posterior circulation stroke in patients with intracranial atherosclerosis. Subsequently, these variables were selected to establish a nomogram. The model showed good distinction (C-index 0.830, 95% CI 0.766-0.895). The calibration curve also showed excellent consistency between the prediction of the nomogram and the observed curve. Decision curve analysis further demonstrated that the nomogram conferred significantly high clinical net benefit. The nomogram calculated from plaque characteristics in HR-MRI may accurately predict the posterior circulation stroke occurrence and be of great help for stratification of stroke decision making.
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Lu Y, Ye MF, Zhao JJ, Diao SS, Li T, Ding DX, Zhang LL, Yao FR, Kong Y, Xu Z. Gadolinium enhancement of atherosclerotic plaque in the intracranial artery. Neurol Res 2021; 43:1040-1049. [PMID: 34229565 DOI: 10.1080/01616412.2021.1949682] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Background: Gadolinium enhancement on high resolution magnetic resonance imaging (HR-MRI) has been considered a sign of instability and inflammation of intracranial atherosclerotic plaques. Our research objective was to explore the relationship between the extent of plaque enhancement (PE), the degree of intracranial artery stenosis, and acute ischemic stroke events.Methods: HR-MRI was performed in 91 patients with intracranial vascular stenosis to determine the existence and intensity of PE.Results: Among 91 patients enrolled in the trial, there were 43 patients in the acute/subacute group (≤1 month from ischemic stroke event), 15 patients in the chronic group (>1 month from ischemic stroke event), and 33 patients in the non-culprit plaques group (no ischemic stroke event). A total of 105 intracranial atherosclerotic plaques were detected in 91 patients. 14 (13.3%) were mild-stenosis plaques, 22 (21.0%) were moderate-stenosis plaques, and 69 (65.7%) were severe-stenosis plaques. There were 12 (11.4%), 18 (17.1%), and 75 (71.4%) plaques in the non-enhanced plaque group, the mild-enhancement group, and the significant-enhancement group, respectively. The degree of PE among the acute/subacute group, the chronic group, and the non-culprit plaque group had a significant difference (P = 0.005). Enhanced plaques were more often observed in culprit plaques (acute/subacute group and chronic group) than non-culprit plaques (96.7% vs 77.3%). Non-enhanced plaques were more often observed in non-culprit plaques than culprit plaques (acute/subacute group and chronic group) (22.7% vs 3.3%). And 36.6% of the enhanced plaques were non-culprit plaques. After performing univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis, the results showed that strong plaque enhancement (P = 0.025, odds ratio [OR] 3.700, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 1.182-11.583) and severe stenosis (P = 0.008, OR 4.393, 95%CI 1.481-13.030) were significantly associated with acute ischemic events.Conclusion: Enhanced plaques were more often observed in culprit plaques, and non-enhanced plaques were more often observed in non-culprit plaques. Moreover, significant plaque enhancement and severe ICAS were closely associated with acute ischemic events.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yue Lu
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China
| | - Meng-Fan Ye
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China
| | - Jie-Ji Zhao
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China
| | - Shan-Shan Diao
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China
| | - Tan Li
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China
| | - Dong-Xue Ding
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China
| | - Lu-Lu Zhang
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China
| | - Fei-Rong Yao
- Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China
| | - Yan Kong
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China
| | - Zhuan Xu
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China
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Saba L, Agarwal N, Cau R, Gerosa C, Sanfilippo R, Porcu M, Montisci R, Cerrone G, Qi Y, Balestrieri A, Lucatelli P, Politi C, Faa G, Suri JS. Review of imaging biomarkers for the vulnerable carotid plaque. JVS Vasc Sci 2021; 2:149-158. [PMID: 34617065 PMCID: PMC8489200 DOI: 10.1016/j.jvssci.2021.03.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2020] [Accepted: 03/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Identification of carotid artery atherosclerosis is conventionally based on measurements of luminal stenosis. However, histopathologic studies demonstrate considerable differences between plaques with identical degrees of stenosis and indicate that certain plaque features are associated with increased risk for ischemic events. As a result of the rapid technological evolution in medical imaging, several important steps have been taken in the field of carotid plaque imaging allowing us to visualize the carotid atherosclerotic plaque and its composition in great detail. For computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, positron emission tomography, and ultrasound scan, evidence has accumulated on novel imaging-based markers that confer information on carotid plaque vulnerability, such as intraplaque hemorrhage and lipid-rich necrotic cores. In terms of the imaging-based identification of individuals at high risk of stroke, routine assessments of such imaging markers are the way forward for improving current clinical practice. The current review highlights the main characteristics of the vulnerable plaque indicating their role in the etiology of ischemic stroke as identified by intensive plaque imaging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luca Saba
- Department of Radiology, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Nivedita Agarwal
- Section of Radiology, Santa Maria del Carmine Hospital, Rovereto, Italy
| | - Riccardo Cau
- Department of Radiology, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Clara Gerosa
- Department of Pathology, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Roberto Sanfilippo
- Department of Vascular Surgery, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Michele Porcu
- Department of Radiology, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Roberto Montisci
- Department of Vascular Surgery, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Giulia Cerrone
- Department of Pathology, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Yang Qi
- Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | | | - Pierleone Lucatelli
- Vascular and Interventional Unit, Department of Radiological Sciences, Policlinico Umberto I, “Sapienza” University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Carola Politi
- Department of Radiology, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Gavino Faa
- Department of Pathology, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Jasjit S. Suri
- Stroke Diagnosis and Monitoring Division, AtheroPoint™, Roseville, Calif
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12
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Meng Q, Xie X, Li L, Jiang C, Zhao K, Bai Z, Zheng Z, Yang Y, Yu Y, Zhang H, Zhao X. Assessment of neovascularization of carotid artery atherosclerotic plaques using superb microvascular imaging: a comparison with contrast-enhanced ultrasound imaging and histology. Quant Imaging Med Surg 2021; 11:1958-1969. [PMID: 33936978 DOI: 10.21037/qims-20-933] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Background This study aimed to investigate the usefulness of superb microvascular imaging (SMI), a novel non-contrast-enhanced ultrasound technique, in characterizing neovessels within carotid atherosclerotic plaques through comparison with contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) and histology. Methods Patients with carotid plaque were recruited and underwent SMI and CEUS ultrasound imaging of the carotid arteries. The maximum plaque thickness, length, and stenosis of each plaque were measured. Grade of the neovessels was determined by SMI and CEUS, respectively. Grade 0 was defined as no blood flow signal/microbubbles within plaques; grade 1 was defined as moderate blood flow signals/microbubbles confined to the shoulder and/or adventitial side of the plaque; and grade 2 was defined as extensive intraplaque signals/microbubbles. Patients with symptomatic carotid stenosis (stenosis ≥50%) or asymptomatic carotid stenosis (stenosis ≥70%) underwent endarterectomy, and plaque specimens were subjected to immunohistochemical analysis of CD31 expression. The neovessels were quantified by histology. The agreement of SMI with CEUS and histology in characterizing neovessels was analyzed using weighted Kappa statistic and Spearman's correlation analyses. Results Seventy-eight patients (mean age: 67.3±8.9 years old, 63 males) were recruited. Of these patients, 52 (66.7%) had a unilateral plaque and 26 (33.3%) had bilateral plaques in the carotid arteries. For the 104 carotid plaques detected, the mean plaque thickness and length were 4.3±1.1 and 18.8±6.6 mm, respectively. The prevalence of <50%, 50-69%, and ≥70% stenosis was 43.3%, 24.0%, and 32.7%, respectively. Excellent agreement was found between SMI and CEUS (κ=0.825 at the plaque level; κ=0.820 at the patient level) in evaluating the neovessel grade within the carotid plaques. Of the 25 patients who underwent carotid endarterectomy, a strong correlation (r=0.660, P<0.001) was found between SMI and histology in the evaluation of intraplaque neovessels. SMI had excellent scan-rescan (κ=0.857), intra-reader (κ=0.810), and inter-reader (κ=0.754) agreement in the assessment of intraplaque neovessels. Conclusions The SMI technique is capable of reliably characterizing neovessels within carotid atherosclerotic plaques and demonstrates good to excellent agreement with histology and CEUS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qi Meng
- Department of Ultrasound, Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital, School of Clinical Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Xia Xie
- Department of Ultrasound, Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital, School of Clinical Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Li Li
- Department of Pathology, Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital, School of Clinical Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Chao Jiang
- Department of Vascular Surgery, Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital, School of Clinical Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Keqiang Zhao
- Department of Vascular Surgery, Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital, School of Clinical Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Zhiyong Bai
- Department of Ultrasound, Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital, School of Clinical Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Zhuozhao Zheng
- Department of Radiology, Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital, School of Clinical Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Yu Yang
- Department of Vascular Surgery, Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital, School of Clinical Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Yan Yu
- Department of Pathology, Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital, School of Clinical Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Huabin Zhang
- Department of Ultrasound, Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital, School of Clinical Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Xihai Zhao
- Center for Biomedical Imaging Research, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Tsinghua University School of Medicine, Beijing, China
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Li X, Sun B, Wang L, Zhang J, Zhang J, Zhao Z, Wu H, Liu X, Zhou Y, Mossa-Basha M, Tirschwell DL, Xu J, Zhao H, Zhu C. Association of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and Glycemic Control With Intracranial Plaque Characteristics in Patients With Acute Ischemic Stroke. J Magn Reson Imaging 2021; 54:655-666. [PMID: 33786939 DOI: 10.1002/jmri.27614] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2021] [Revised: 03/08/2021] [Accepted: 03/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) has shown to be associated with carotid plaque vulnerability. However, the impact of T2DM on intracranial artery atherosclerosis is not well-understood. PURPOSE To evaluate the association of diabetes and glycemic control with intracranial atherosclerotic plaque characteristics identified by three-dimensional contrast enhanced MR vessel wall imaging in patients after acute ischemic stroke. STUDY TYPE Prospective. POPULATION Two hundred and eighty-eight symptomatic patients with acute ischemic stroke due to intracranial atherosclerotic plaque. FIELD STRENGTH/SEQUENCE T1 WI volume isotropic turbo spin-echo acquisition sequence at 3.0 T. ASSESSMENT Clinical profiles, blood biomarkers, the number of intracranial plaques, plaque enhanced score, and the features (location, luminal stenotic rate, intraplaque hemorrhage, length, burden, enhancement grade, and ratio) of culprit plaque (defined as the most stenotic lesion ipsilateral to the ischemic event) and nonculprit plaque were analyzed by three radiologists. STATISTICAL TESTS Analysis of variance (ANOVA), Shapiro-Wilk normality test, Levene's test, ANOVA with Bonferroni post-hoc test, Kruskal Wallis H test with subsequent pairwise comparisons, chi-square with Bonferroni post-hoc test, generalized linear regression, Pearson correlation test, Kendall's W and intra-class correlation coefficient. RESULTS Two hundred and twenty-five participants (age 60 ± 10 years, 58.7% male) with 958 intracranial plaques were included. More intracranial plaques were found in the T2DM group than the non-T2DM group (4.80 ± 2.22 vs. 3.60 ± 1.78, P < 0.05). Patients with poorly-controlled T2DM exhibited higher culprit plaque enhancement ratio than patients with well-controlled T2DM and non-T2DM (2.32 ± 0.61 vs. 1.60 ± 0.62 and 1.39 ± 0.39; respectively, P < 0.05). After adjusting for other clinical variables, T2DM was independently associated with increased intracranial plaque number (β = 0.269, P < 0.05), and HbA1c level was independently associated with culprit plaque enhancement ratio (β = 0.641, P < 0.05) in multivariate analysis. DATA CONCLUSION T2DM is associated with an increased intracranial plaque number. Higher HbA1c is associated with stronger plaque enhancement. 3D contrast enhanced MR vessel wall imaging may help better understand the association of T2DM and glycemic control with intracranial plaque. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE 1 TECHNICAL EFFICACY STAGE: 3.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao Li
- Department of Radiology, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Beibei Sun
- Department of Radiology, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Lingling Wang
- Department of Radiology, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Jin Zhang
- Department of Radiology, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Jianjian Zhang
- Department of Radiology, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Zizhou Zhao
- Department of Radiology, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Hengqu Wu
- Department of Neurology, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Xiaosheng Liu
- Department of Radiology, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yan Zhou
- Department of Radiology, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Mahmud Mossa-Basha
- Department of Radiology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - David L Tirschwell
- Department of Neurology, Harborview Medical Center, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Jianrong Xu
- Department of Radiology, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Huilin Zhao
- Department of Radiology, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Chengcheng Zhu
- Department of Radiology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
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Symptomatic Internal Carotid Artery Vasa Vasorum Treated With Surgical Occlusion. Can J Neurol Sci 2021; 49:118-119. [PMID: 33766184 DOI: 10.1017/cjn.2021.49] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
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15
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Sun J, Lepor NE, Cantón G, Contreras L, Hippe DS, Isquith DA, Balu N, Kedan I, Simonini AA, Yuan C, Zhao XQ, Hatsukami TS. Serial magnetic resonance imaging detects a rapid reduction in plaque lipid content under PCSK9 inhibition with alirocumab. Int J Cardiovasc Imaging 2021; 37:1415-1422. [DOI: 10.1007/s10554-020-02115-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2020] [Accepted: 11/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
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16
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Yuan C, Miller Z, Zhao XQ. Magnetic Resonance Imaging: Cardiovascular Applications for Clinical Trials. Mol Imaging 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-816386-3.00059-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022] Open
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17
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A High Resolution MRI Study of the Relationship Between Plaque Enhancement and Perforator Stroke after Stenting for Symptomatic Vertebrobasilar Artery Stenosis. J Stroke Cerebrovasc Dis 2020; 30:105558. [PMID: 33348247 DOI: 10.1016/j.jstrokecerebrovasdis.2020.105558] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2020] [Revised: 12/11/2020] [Accepted: 12/13/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Perforator stroke is one of the most common complications of vertebrobasilar arterial stenting. We investigated whether perforator stroke after vertebrobasilar arterial stenting is associated with plaque enhancement in patients with severe vertebrobasilar artery stenosis. METHODS We studied patients with symptomatic vertebrobasilar arterial stenosis who underwent stenting from January 2017 to July 2020. Patients who underwent high resolution magnetic resonance imaging were recruited among them. Demographic data, risk factors of atherosclerosis, procedure details, and characteristics of imaging were extracted from electronic health records and imaging data. Plaque features were investigated by high resolution magnetic resonance imaging. RESULTS 136 patients were enrolled in this study, 39 of whom fulfilled the inclusion criteria. 18 patients (46.2%) had obvious plaque enhancement among the 39 patients, and 21 (53.8%) had plaque non-enhancement. 21 patients (53.8%) had diffuse distribution, and 22 patients (56.4%) had irregular plaques surface. Patients were divided into plaque enhanced and plaque non-enhanced groups according to the degree of plaque enhancement. Clinical characteristics and other plaque features were similar between two groups. Procedure-related perforator stroke was identified in 4 patients (10.3%). Patients with plaque enhancement were more likely to have perforator stroke after stenting compared with those with plaque non-enhancement (22.2% versus 0%, P = 0.037). CONCLUSIONS Plaque enhancement in high resolution magnetic resonance imaging may be associated with perforator stroke after vertebrobasilar artery stenting.
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Willemink MJ, Coolen BF, Dyvorne H, Robson PM, Bander I, Ishino S, Pruzan A, Sridhar A, Zhang B, Balchandani P, Mani V, Strijkers GJ, Nederveen AJ, Leiner T, Fayad ZA, Mulder WJM, Calcagno C. Ultra-high resolution, 3-dimensional magnetic resonance imaging of the atherosclerotic vessel wall at clinical 7T. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0241779. [PMID: 33315867 PMCID: PMC7735577 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0241779] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2020] [Accepted: 10/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Accurate quantification and characterization of atherosclerotic plaques with MRI requires high spatial resolution acquisitions with excellent image quality. The intrinsically better signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) at high-field clinical 7T compared to the widely employed lower field strengths of 1.5 and 3T may yield significant improvements to vascular MRI. However, 7T atherosclerosis imaging also presents specific challenges, related to local transmit coils and B1 field inhomogeneities, which may overshadow these theoretical gains. We present the development and evaluation of 3D, black-blood, ultra-high resolution vascular MRI on clinical high-field 7T in comparison lower-field 3T. These protocols were applied for in vivo imaging of atherosclerotic rabbits, which are often used for development, testing, and validation of translatable cardiovascular MR protocols. Eight atherosclerotic New Zealand White rabbits were imaged on clinical 7T and 3T MRI scanners using 3D, isotropic, high (0.63 mm3) and ultra-high (0.43 mm3) spatial resolution, black-blood MR sequences with extensive spatial coverage. Following imaging, rabbits were sacrificed for validation using fluorescence imaging and histology. Image quality parameters such as SNR and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), as well as morphological and functional plaque measurements (plaque area and permeability) were evaluated at both field strengths. Using the same or comparable imaging parameters, SNR and CNR were in general higher at 7T compared to 3T, with a median (interquartiles) SNR gain of +40.3 (35.3-80.1)%, and a median CNR gain of +68.1 (38.5-95.2)%. Morphological and functional parameters, such as vessel wall area and permeability, were reliably acquired at 7T and correlated significantly with corresponding, widely validated 3T vessel wall MRI measurements. In conclusion, we successfully developed 3D, black-blood, ultra-high spatial resolution vessel wall MRI protocols on a 7T clinical scanner. 7T imaging was in general superior to 3T with respect to image quality, and comparable in terms of plaque area and permeability measurements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin J. Willemink
- Department of Radiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
- Department of Radiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, United States of America
| | - Bram F. Coolen
- Department of Biomedical Engineering and Physics, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Hadrien Dyvorne
- BioMedical Engineering and Imaging Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, United States of America
- Department of Radiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Philip M. Robson
- BioMedical Engineering and Imaging Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, United States of America
- Department of Radiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Ilda Bander
- BioMedical Engineering and Imaging Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, United States of America
- Department of Radiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Seigo Ishino
- BioMedical Engineering and Imaging Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, United States of America
- Department of Radiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Alison Pruzan
- BioMedical Engineering and Imaging Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, United States of America
- Department of Radiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Arthi Sridhar
- BioMedical Engineering and Imaging Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, United States of America
- Department of Radiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Bei Zhang
- BioMedical Engineering and Imaging Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, United States of America
- Department of Radiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Priti Balchandani
- BioMedical Engineering and Imaging Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, United States of America
- Department of Radiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Venkatesh Mani
- BioMedical Engineering and Imaging Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, United States of America
- Department of Radiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Gustav J. Strijkers
- Department of Biomedical Engineering and Physics, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Aart J. Nederveen
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Tim Leiner
- Department of Radiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Zahi A. Fayad
- BioMedical Engineering and Imaging Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, United States of America
- Department of Radiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Willem J. M. Mulder
- BioMedical Engineering and Imaging Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, United States of America
- Department of Medical Biochemistry, Academic Medical Centre, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Claudia Calcagno
- BioMedical Engineering and Imaging Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, United States of America
- Department of Radiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Kassem M, Florea A, Mottaghy FM, van Oostenbrugge R, Kooi ME. Magnetic resonance imaging of carotid plaques: current status and clinical perspectives. ANNALS OF TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE 2020; 8:1266. [PMID: 33178798 PMCID: PMC7607136 DOI: 10.21037/atm-2020-cass-16] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Rupture of a vulnerable carotid plaque is one of the leading causes of stroke. Carotid magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is able to visualize all the main hallmarks of plaque vulnerability. Various MRI sequences have been developed in the last two decades to quantify carotid plaque burden and composition. Often, a combination of multiple sequences is used. These MRI techniques have been extensively validated with histological analysis of carotid endarterectomy specimens. High agreement between the MRI and histological measures of plaque burden, intraplaque hemorrhage (IPH), lipid-rich necrotic core (LRNC), fibrous cap (FC) status, inflammation and neovascularization has been demonstrated. Novel MRI sequences allow to generate three-dimensional isotropic images with a large longitudinal coverage. Other new sequences can acquire multiple contrasts using a single sequence leading to a tremendous reduction in scan time. IPH can be easily identified as a hyperintense signal in the bulk of the plaque on strongly T1-weighted images, such as magnetization-prepared rapid acquisition gradient echo images, acquired within a few minutes with a standard neurovascular coil. Carotid MRI can also be used to evaluate treatment effects. Several meta-analyses have demonstrated a strong predictive value of IPH, LRNC, thinning or rupture of the FC for ischemic cerebrovascular events. Recently, in a large meta-analysis based on individual patient data of asymptomatic and symptomatic individuals with carotid artery stenosis, it was shown that IPH on MRI is an independent risk predictor for stroke, stronger than any known clinical risk parameter. Expert recommendations on carotid plaque MRI protocols have recently been described in a white paper. The present review provides an overview of the current status and applications of carotid plaque MR imaging and its future potential in daily clinical practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohamed Kassem
- CARIM School for Cardiovascular Diseases, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.,Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Maastricht University Medical Center (MUMC+), Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Alexandru Florea
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Maastricht University Medical Center (MUMC+), Maastricht, The Netherlands.,Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany
| | - Felix M Mottaghy
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Maastricht University Medical Center (MUMC+), Maastricht, The Netherlands.,Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany
| | - Robert van Oostenbrugge
- CARIM School for Cardiovascular Diseases, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.,Department of Neurology, MUMC+, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - M Eline Kooi
- CARIM School for Cardiovascular Diseases, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.,Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Maastricht University Medical Center (MUMC+), Maastricht, The Netherlands
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20
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Huang J, Jiao S, Song Y, Chen Y, Zhang J, Zhang C, Gong T, Chen M. Association between type 2 diabetes mellitus, especially recently uncontrolled glycemia, and intracranial plaque characteristics: A high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging study. J Diabetes Investig 2020; 11:1278-1284. [PMID: 32100945 PMCID: PMC7477510 DOI: 10.1111/jdi.13239] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2019] [Revised: 01/28/2020] [Accepted: 02/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
AIMS/INTRODUCTION Type 2 diabetes mellitus is a specific risk factor for intracranial atherosclerosis. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between type 2 diabetes mellitus, especially uncontrolled glycemia, and intracranial plaque characteristics using high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging. MATERIALS AND METHODS A total of 263 patients (182 men; mean age 62.6 ± 11.5 years) with intracranial atherosclerotic plaques detected on high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging from December 2017 to March 2019 were included in this study. Patients were divided into different groups: (i) patients with and without type 2 diabetes mellitus; (ii) diabetes patients with uncontrolled glycemia (glycated hemoglobin level ≥7.0%) and controlled glycemia; and (iii), diabetes patients with diabetes duration of <5, 5-10 and >10 years. Comparisons of plaque features between groups were made, respectively. RESULTS Type 2 diabetes mellitus was diagnosed in 118 patients (44.9%). Diabetes patients had a significantly greater prevalence of enhanced plaque, greater maximum plaque length, maximum wall thickness and more severe luminal stenosis than non-diabetes patients. Compared with diabetes patients with controlled glycemia, those with uncontrolled glycemia had a significantly greater prevalence of enhanced plaque and greater maximum plaque length (all P < 0.05). There were no significant differences in plaque features among patients with different durations of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Uncontrolled glycemia was an independent factor for plaque enhancement after adjustment for potential confounding factors (odds ratio 5.690; 95% confidence interval 1.748-18.526; P = 0.004). CONCLUSIONS Type 2 diabetes mellitus is closely related to intracranial plaque enhancement and burden. Recently uncontrolled glycemia might play an important role in the development of enhanced plaque.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan Huang
- Department of RadiologyNational Center of GerontologyBeijing HospitalBeijingChina
| | - Sheng Jiao
- Department of RadiologyNational Center of GerontologyBeijing HospitalBeijingChina
| | - Yan Song
- Department of RadiologyNational Center of GerontologyBeijing HospitalBeijingChina
| | - Yuhui Chen
- Department of NeurologyNational Center of GerontologyBeijing HospitalBeijingChina
| | - Jintao Zhang
- Department of RadiologyNational Center of GerontologyBeijing HospitalBeijingChina
| | - Chen Zhang
- Department of RadiologyNational Center of GerontologyBeijing HospitalBeijingChina
| | - Tao Gong
- Department of NeurologyNational Center of GerontologyBeijing HospitalBeijingChina
| | - Min Chen
- Department of RadiologyNational Center of GerontologyBeijing HospitalBeijingChina
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21
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Porcu M, Mannelli L, Melis M, Suri JS, Gerosa C, Cerrone G, Defazio G, Faa G, Saba L. Carotid plaque imaging profiling in subjects with risk factors (diabetes and hypertension). Cardiovasc Diagn Ther 2020; 10:1005-1018. [PMID: 32968657 DOI: 10.21037/cdt.2020.01.13] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Carotid artery stenosis (CAS) due to the presence of atherosclerotic plaque (AP) is a frequent medical condition and a known risk factor for stroke, and it is also known from literature that several risk factors promote the AP development, in particular aging, smoke, male sex, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, smoke, diabetes type 1 and 2, and genetic factors. The study of carotid atherosclerosis is continuously evolving: even if the strategies of treatment still depends mainly on the degree of stenosis (DoS) determined by the plaque, in the last years the attention has moved to the study of the plaque components in order to identify the so called "vulnerable" plaque: features like the fibrous cap status and thickness, the volume of the lipid-rich necrotic core and the presence of intraplaque hemorrhage (IPH) are risk factors for plaque rupture, that can be studied with modern imaging techniques. The aim of this review is to give a general overview of the principle histological and imaging features of the subcomponent of carotid AP (CAP), focalizing in particular on the features of CAP of patients affected by hypertension and diabetes (in particular type 2 diabetes mellitus).
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Affiliation(s)
- Michele Porcu
- Department of Radiology, AOU Cagliari, University of Cagliari, Italy
| | | | - Marta Melis
- Department of Neurology, AOU of Cagliari, University of Cagliari, Italy
| | - Jasjit S Suri
- Diagnostic and Monitoring Division, AtheroPoint, Roseville, California, USA
| | - Clara Gerosa
- Department of Pathology, AOU Cagliari, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Giulia Cerrone
- Department of Pathology, AOU Cagliari, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Giovanni Defazio
- Department of Neurology, AOU of Cagliari, University of Cagliari, Italy
| | - Gavino Faa
- Department of Pathology, AOU Cagliari, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Luca Saba
- Department of Radiology, AOU Cagliari, University of Cagliari, Italy
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22
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Yang WJ, Abrigo J, Soo YOY, Wong S, Wong KS, Leung TWH, Chu WCW, Chen XY. Regression of Plaque Enhancement Within Symptomatic Middle Cerebral Artery Atherosclerosis: A High-Resolution MRI Study. Front Neurol 2020; 11:755. [PMID: 32849214 PMCID: PMC7399098 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2020.00755] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2019] [Accepted: 06/18/2020] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Objective: Contrast enhancement is a vital feature of the intracranial atherosclerotic plaque on high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (HRMRI), but its clinical significance is still unclear. We aimed to quantitatively assess plaque enhancement patterns in the middle cerebral artery (MCA) atherosclerotic plaque. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study by prospectively recruiting stroke or transient ischemic attack patients with >30% of MCA stenosis of either side. All patients underwent contrast-enhanced HRMRI scans. Enrolled patients were classified into acute phase (<4 weeks), subacute phase (4-12 weeks) and chronic phase (>12 weeks) groups based on the time interval from stroke onset to imaging scan. Plaque enhancement index was calculated for each MCA lesion at the maximal narrowing site. Results: We identified a total of 89 MCA plaques [53 (60%) symptomatic and 36 (40%) asymptomatic; 57 (64%) acute, 18 (20%) subacute and 14 (16%) chronic] in 58 patients on HRMRI. Among the acute lesions, symptomatic plaques had a significantly stronger plaque enhancement than asymptomatic plaques (symptomatic vs. asymptomatic: 38.9 ± 18.2 vs. 18.2 ± 16.2, p < 0.001). Among the symptomatic lesions, plaque enhancement diminished with increasing time after stroke onset (38.9 ± 18.2, 22.0 ± 22.8, and 5.0 ± 10.1 for acute, subacute, and chronic phase, respectively; p = 0.001). Conclusion: Plaque enhancement in the acute atherosclerotic plaque is closely related to recent ischemic events. In symptomatic atherosclerosis, plaque enhancement regresses over time after ischemic stroke, which may offer the potential to monitor the plaque activity in intracranial atherosclerosis using HRMRI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wen-Jie Yang
- The Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Jill Abrigo
- Department of Imaging and Interventional Radiology, Prince of Wales Hospital, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, China
| | - Yannie Oi-Yan Soo
- Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, China
| | - Simon Wong
- Department of Imaging and Interventional Radiology, Prince of Wales Hospital, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, China
| | - Ka-Sing Wong
- Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, China
| | - Thomas Wai-Hong Leung
- Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, China
| | - Winnie Chiu-Wing Chu
- Department of Imaging and Interventional Radiology, Prince of Wales Hospital, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, China
| | - Xiang-Yan Chen
- Department of Health Technology and Informatics, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, China
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23
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Tian Z, Wang Z, Li W, Zhu W, Liu J, Zhang Y, Yang X, Zhang Y. Dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI analysis for prognosis of intracranial dissecting aneurysm with intramural haematoma after endovascular treatment: an observational registry study. Stroke Vasc Neurol 2020; 6:133-138. [PMID: 32611729 PMCID: PMC8005896 DOI: 10.1136/svn-2020-000326] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2020] [Revised: 04/07/2020] [Accepted: 05/16/2020] [Indexed: 11/04/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Intracranial dissecting aneurysm (IDA) with intramural haematoma (IMH) is an intractable cerebrovascular disease. The outcome of IDA with IMH after endovascular treatment varies across different individuals: some IMHs stop growing after endovascular treatment, while others continue to grow, even after embolisation of the parent artery. Currently, the mechanism for the continuous growth of IMH after endovascular treatment is still unclear. Continuous haemorrhage of the vasa vasorum in the IMH is considered to be associated with continuous enlargement of the IMH; however, this theory has not been proved by in vivo imaging. METHODS AND ANALYSIS This study will establish a prospective cohort of 80 patients who had an IDA with IMH and received endovascular treatment. Demographic characteristics, IDA morphological characteristics and treatment characteristics will be collected prospectively. All patients will undergo dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI) before and 6 months after the endovascular treatment. According to the follow-up results of the MRI, the IDAs will be divided into two groups: a haematoma stabilisation group and a haematoma enlargement group. Then, quantitative analysis of the vasa vasorum in the IMH will be performed, and differences between the two groups will be compared with determine the association between DCE-MRI related parameters and the outcomes of IMH changes. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION The research was approved by the ethics committee of Beijing Tian Tan Hospital (KY 2019-024-03) and written informed consents would be obtained from all patients included in this study. The results of this study will be disseminated in professional printed media. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER NCT03940859. Registered: 7 May, 2019. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03940859.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhongbin Tian
- Department of Interventional Neuroradiology, Beijing Neurosurgical Institute and Beijing Tian Tan Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Zhongxiao Wang
- Department of Interventional Neuroradiology, Beijing Neurosurgical Institute and Beijing Tian Tan Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Wenqiang Li
- Department of Interventional Neuroradiology, Beijing Neurosurgical Institute and Beijing Tian Tan Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Wei Zhu
- Department of Interventional Neuroradiology, Beijing Neurosurgical Institute and Beijing Tian Tan Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Jian Liu
- Department of Interventional Neuroradiology, Beijing Neurosurgical Institute and Beijing Tian Tan Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Ying Zhang
- Department of Interventional Neuroradiology, Beijing Neurosurgical Institute and Beijing Tian Tan Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Xinjian Yang
- Department of Interventional Neuroradiology, Beijing Neurosurgical Institute and Beijing Tian Tan Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Yisen Zhang
- Department of Interventional Neuroradiology, Beijing Neurosurgical Institute and Beijing Tian Tan Hospital, Beijing, China
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24
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Han T, Paramsothy P, Hong J, Isquith D, Xu D, Bai H, Neradilek M, Gill E, Zhao XQ. High-resolution MRI assessed carotid atherosclerotic plaque characteristics comparing men and women with elevated ApoB levels. Int J Cardiovasc Imaging 2020; 36:481-489. [PMID: 32020410 DOI: 10.1007/s10554-019-01600-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2019] [Accepted: 04/06/2019] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
Previous studies demonstrated that men were more likely to have plaque rupture and are at greater risk for myocardial infarction and stroke than women. We evaluated differences in carotid plaque characteristics by MRI between men and women with mild-moderate atherosclerosis and elevated ApoB levels. One hundred eighty-two subjects (104 men and 78 women) with CAD or carotid stenosis (≥ 15% by ultrasound), ApoB ≥ 120 mg/dL and carotid MRI scan were included. Percent wall volume (%WV) was calculated as (wall volume/total vessel volume) × 100%. Three major plaque compositions, fibrous tissue (FT), calcification (CA) and lipid rich necrotic core (LRNC), were identified and quantified using published MRI criteria. Adventitial and plaque neovascularization as fractional plasma volume (Vp) and permeability as transfer constant (Ktrans) were analyzed using kinetic modeling. These characteristics were compared between men and women. Men, compared to women, were younger (54 ± 8 vs. 58 ± 8 years, p = 0.01), had higher rate of previous MI (46 vs. 26%, p = 0.005) but lower proportions of metabolic syndrome (37 vs. 59%, p = 0.003). After adjusting for between-gender differences, men were significantly more likely to have LRNC (OR 2.22, 95% CI 1.04-4.89, p = 0.04) and showed significantly larger %LRNC than women (diff = 4.3%, 95% CI 1.6-6.9%, p = 0.002), while %WV, FT, and CA were similar between men and women. There were no statistically significant differences in adventitial and plaque Vp or Ktrans. Men were significantly more likely to have LRNC and had larger LRNC than women. However, men and women showed relatively similar levels of adventitial and plaque neovascularization and permeability.Trial registration: NCT00715273 at ClinicalTrials.gov. Registered 15 July 2008, retrospectively registered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tianwen Han
- Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98104, USA
| | - Pathmaja Paramsothy
- Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98104, USA
| | - Jaekyoung Hong
- Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98104, USA
| | - Daniel Isquith
- Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98104, USA
| | - Dongxiang Xu
- Department of Radiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98109, USA
| | - Hua Bai
- Clinical Pharmacology Research Center, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Beijing, 100032, China
| | - Moni Neradilek
- The Mountain-Whisper-Light Statistics, Seattle, WA, 98112, USA
| | - Edward Gill
- Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98104, USA
| | - Xue-Qiao Zhao
- Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98104, USA. .,Harborview Medical Center, University of Washington, GEC-37, 325 9th Ave, Box 359720, Seattle, WA, 98104, USA.
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25
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Fayad ZA, Swirski FK, Calcagno C, Robbins CS, Mulder W, Kovacic JC. Monocyte and Macrophage Dynamics in the Cardiovascular System: JACC Macrophage in CVD Series (Part 3). J Am Coll Cardiol 2019; 72:2198-2212. [PMID: 30360828 DOI: 10.1016/j.jacc.2018.08.2150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2018] [Revised: 07/16/2018] [Accepted: 08/03/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
It has long been recognized that the bone marrow is the primary site of origin for circulating monocytes that may later become macrophages in atherosclerotic lesions. However, only in recent times has the complex relationship among the bone marrow, monocytes/macrophages, and atherosclerotic plaques begun to be understood. Moreover, the systemic nature of these interactions, which also involves additional compartments such as extramedullary hematopoietic sites (i.e., spleen), is only just becoming apparent. In parallel, progressive advances in imaging and cell labeling techniques have opened new opportunities for in vivo imaging of monocyte/macrophage trafficking in atherosclerotic lesions and at the systemic level. In this Part 3 of a 4-part review series covering the macrophage in cardiovascular disease, the authors intersect systemic biology with advanced imaging techniques to explore monocyte and macrophage dynamics in the cardiovascular system, with an emphasis on how events at the systemic level might affect local atherosclerotic plaque biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zahi A Fayad
- Translational and Molecular Imaging Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York; Department of Radiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York; The Zena and Michael A. Wiener Cardiovascular Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
| | - Filip K Swirski
- Center for Systems Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Claudia Calcagno
- Translational and Molecular Imaging Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York; Department of Radiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
| | - Clinton S Robbins
- Center for Systems Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts; Peter Munk Cardiac Centre, Toronto General Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Departments of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology and Immunology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Willem Mulder
- Translational and Molecular Imaging Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York; Department of Radiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
| | - Jason C Kovacic
- The Zena and Michael A. Wiener Cardiovascular Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York.
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Why is middle cerebral artery plaque augmented by contrast media? A phantom study using middle cerebral artery stenotic silicon model. Neuroradiology 2019; 61:1173-1180. [DOI: 10.1007/s00234-019-02271-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2019] [Accepted: 07/29/2019] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
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27
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Du R, Cai J, Cui B, Wu H, Zhao XQ, Ye P. Rapid improvement in carotid adventitial angiogenesis and plaque neovascularization after rosuvastatin therapy in statin treatment-naïve subjects. J Clin Lipidol 2019; 13:847-853. [PMID: 31783975 DOI: 10.1016/j.jacl.2019.07.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2019] [Revised: 06/09/2019] [Accepted: 07/30/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Statin therapy can improve plaque stability. However, the time course of effects of statin on adventitial angiogenesis and plaque neovascularization has not been studied. OBJECTIVE The objective of the study was to investigate whether statin therapy reduces plaque neovascularization, associated with adventitial angiogenesis, over 24 months as assessed by using carotid dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI). METHODS Forty-three lipid treatment-naïve subjects with asymptomatic carotid atherosclerosis received rosuvastatin (5-20 mg/d) to lower low-density lipoprotein cholesterol to <80 mg/dL for 24 months. Carotid DCE-MRI was performed at baseline, 3, 12 and 24 months. Vascularity (Vp = fractional plasma volume) and vascular permeability (Ktrans = transfer constant) derived from kinetic modeling of DCE-MRI were measured in both adventitia and plaque. RESULTS Adventitia Vp and adventitia Ktrans were significantly correlated with plaque Vp and plaque Ktrans at baseline. Rosuvastatin significantly reduced both adventitial and plaque Vp significantly at 3 months from 0.121 ± 0.064 to 0.085 ± 0.049 (P = .008) and from 0.096 ± 0.052 to 0.067 ± 0.043 (P = .013). Adventitial and plaque Vp continued to decrease by 43% and 34% at 12 months and by 49% and 45% at 24 months. However, the continued reductions from 3 to 12 months and from 12 to 24 months were not statistically significant. Adventitial and plaque Ktrans showed similar trends, but nonstatistically significant decreases during the 24 months of treatment. CONCLUSIONS Rosuvastatin therapy rapidly and significantly decreased adventitial and plaque neovascularization at 3 months followed by continued, but nonstatistically significant, decreases at 12 and 24 months.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruixue Du
- Department of Geriatric Cardiology, National Clinical Research Centre for Geriatric Disease, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Jianming Cai
- Department of Radiology, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Bao Cui
- Department of Radiology, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Hongmei Wu
- Department of Geriatric Cardiology, National Clinical Research Centre for Geriatric Disease, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Xue-Qiao Zhao
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
| | - Ping Ye
- Department of Geriatric Cardiology, National Clinical Research Centre for Geriatric Disease, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China.
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Miura M, Yoshimura S, Yamada K, Kanamaru T, Matsumoto K, Shindo S, Uchida K, Shirakawa M, Kawasaki M, Ando Y. Presence of Plaque Neovascularization on Optical Frequency Domain Imaging Predicts Progression of Carotid Artery Stenosis. World Neurosurg 2019; 127:e330-e336. [DOI: 10.1016/j.wneu.2019.02.249] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2018] [Revised: 02/26/2019] [Accepted: 02/27/2019] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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29
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Computational imaging of aortic vasa vasorum and neovascularization in rabbits using contrast-enhanced intravascular ultrasound: Association with histological analysis. Anatol J Cardiol 2019; 20:117-124. [PMID: 30088486 PMCID: PMC6237958 DOI: 10.14744/anatoljcardiol.2018.35761] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective: Neoangiogenesis is pathophysiologically related to atherosclerotic plaque growth and vulnerability. We examined the in vivo performance of a computational method using contrast-enhanced intravascular ultrasound (CE-IVUS) to detect and quantify aortic wall neovascularization in rabbits. We also compared these findings with histological data. Methods: Nine rabbits were fed with a hyperlipidemic diet. IVUS image sequences were continuously recorded before and after the injection of a contrast agent. Mean enhancement of intensity of a region of interest (MEIR) was calculated using differential imaging algorithm. The percent difference of MEIR before and after the injection of microbubbles (d_MEIR) was used as an index of the density of plaque or/and adventitial neovascularization. Aortic segments were excised for histological analysis. Results: CE-IVUS and histological analysis were performed in 11 arterial segments. MEIR was significantly increased (~20%) after microbubble injection (from 8.1±0.9 to 9.7±1.8, p=0.016). Segments with increased VV/neovessels in the tunica adventitia (histological scores 2 and 3) had significantly higher d_MEIR compared with segments with low presence of VV/neovessels (score 1); 40.5±22.9 vs. 8±14.6, p=0.024, respectively. Conclusion: It is possible to detect VV or neovessels in vivo using computational analysis of CE-IVUS images, which is in agreement with histological data. These findings may have critical implications on vulnerable plaque assessment and risk stratification.
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30
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Quan K, Song J, Yang Z, Wang D, An Q, Huang L, Liu P, Li P, Tian Y, Zhou L, Zhu W. Validation of Wall Enhancement as a New Imaging Biomarker of Unruptured Cerebral Aneurysm. Stroke 2019; 50:1570-1573. [PMID: 31035900 DOI: 10.1161/strokeaha.118.024195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Background and Purpose- High-resolution vessel wall magnetic resonance imaging is a promising technique for assessing wall structures of unruptured intracranial aneurysms (UIAs). However, the relationship between aneurysmal high-resolution vessel wall magnetic resonance imaging features and their histopathologic mechanism remains poorly understood. Methods- From February 2016 to February 2018, a total of 19 men and 28 women with 54 UIAs treated surgically were prospectively enrolled. The intraoperative observed gross pathology of the aneurysmal wall was compared with the enhancement features on high-resolution vessel wall magnetic resonance imaging. Specimens of the UIAs were harvested for histopathologic and immunohistochemistry analysis. Results- An irregular shape and large size was significantly related to UIA wall enhancement. Both uniform and focal wall enhancement may demonstrate the inflammation processes of UIA walls, although the latter may indicate more atherosclerotic plaque formation. Conclusions- Different high-resolution vessel wall magnetic resonance imaging enhancement features may represent variable inflammation status of a UIA wall, which may provide new insights into assessing the UIA wall structure and optimizing treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kai Quan
- From the Department of Neurosurgery (K.Q., J.S., Z.Y., Q.A., P. Liu, P. Li, Y.T., L.Z., W.Z.), Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Jianping Song
- From the Department of Neurosurgery (K.Q., J.S., Z.Y., Q.A., P. Liu, P. Li, Y.T., L.Z., W.Z.), Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Zixiao Yang
- From the Department of Neurosurgery (K.Q., J.S., Z.Y., Q.A., P. Liu, P. Li, Y.T., L.Z., W.Z.), Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Dongdong Wang
- Department of Radiology (D.W., L.H.), Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Qingzhu An
- From the Department of Neurosurgery (K.Q., J.S., Z.Y., Q.A., P. Liu, P. Li, Y.T., L.Z., W.Z.), Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Lei Huang
- Department of Radiology (D.W., L.H.), Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Peixi Liu
- From the Department of Neurosurgery (K.Q., J.S., Z.Y., Q.A., P. Liu, P. Li, Y.T., L.Z., W.Z.), Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Peiliang Li
- From the Department of Neurosurgery (K.Q., J.S., Z.Y., Q.A., P. Liu, P. Li, Y.T., L.Z., W.Z.), Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yanlong Tian
- From the Department of Neurosurgery (K.Q., J.S., Z.Y., Q.A., P. Liu, P. Li, Y.T., L.Z., W.Z.), Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Liangfu Zhou
- From the Department of Neurosurgery (K.Q., J.S., Z.Y., Q.A., P. Liu, P. Li, Y.T., L.Z., W.Z.), Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Wei Zhu
- From the Department of Neurosurgery (K.Q., J.S., Z.Y., Q.A., P. Liu, P. Li, Y.T., L.Z., W.Z.), Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
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Crombag GAJC, van Hoof RHM, Holtackers RJ, Schreuder FHBM, Truijman MTB, Schreuder TAHCML, van Orshoven NP, Mess WH, Hofman PAM, van Oostenbrugge RJ, Wildberger JE, Kooi ME. Symptomatic Carotid Plaques Demonstrate Less Leaky Plaque Microvasculature Compared With the Contralateral Side: A Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study. J Am Heart Assoc 2019; 8:e011832. [PMID: 30971168 PMCID: PMC6507193 DOI: 10.1161/jaha.118.011832] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Background Rupture of a vulnerable carotid atherosclerotic plaque is an important underlying cause of ischemic stroke. Increased leaky plaque microvasculature may contribute to plaque vulnerability. These immature microvessels may facilitate entrance of inflammatory cells into the plaque. The objective of the present study is to investigate whether there is a difference in plaque microvasculature (the volume transfer coefficient Ktrans) between the ipsilateral symptomatic and contralateral asymptomatic carotid plaque using noninvasive dynamic contrast‐enhanced magnetic resonance imaging. Methods and Results Eighty‐eight patients with recent transient ischemic attack or ischemic stroke and ipsilateral >2 mm carotid plaque underwent 3 T magnetic resonance imaging to identify plaque components and to determine characteristics of plaque microvasculature. The volume transfer coefficient Ktrans, indicative for microvascular density, flow, and permeability, was calculated for the ipsilateral and asymptomatic plaque, using a pharmacokinetic model (Patlak). Presence of a lipid‐rich necrotic core, intraplaque hemorrhage, and a thin and/or ruptured fibrous cap was assessed on multisequence magnetic resonance imaging. We found significantly lower Ktrans in the symptomatic carotid plaque compared with the asymptomatic side (0.057±0.002 min−1 versus 0.062±0.002 min−1; P=0.033). There was an increased number of slices with intraplaque hemorrhage (0.9±1.6 versus 0.3±0.8, P=0.002) and lipid‐rich necrotic core (1.4±1.9 versus 0.8±1.4, P=0.016) and a higher prevalence of plaques with a thin and/or ruptured fibrous cap (32% versus 17%, P=0.023) at the symptomatic side. Conclusions Ktrans was significantly lower in symptomatic carotid plaques, indicative for a decrease of plaque microvasculature in symptomatic plaques. This could be related to a larger amount of necrotic tissue in symptomatic plaques. Clinical Trial Registration URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov.uk. Unique identifier: NCT01208025.
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Affiliation(s)
- Geneviève A J C Crombag
- 1 Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine Maastricht University Medical Centre Maastricht The Netherlands.,4 CARIM School for Cardiovascular Diseases Maastricht University Medical Centre Maastricht The Netherlands
| | - Raf H M van Hoof
- 1 Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine Maastricht University Medical Centre Maastricht The Netherlands.,4 CARIM School for Cardiovascular Diseases Maastricht University Medical Centre Maastricht The Netherlands.,5 Control Systems Technology Department of Mechanical Engineering Eindhoven University of Technology Eindhoven The Netherlands
| | - Robert J Holtackers
- 1 Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine Maastricht University Medical Centre Maastricht The Netherlands.,4 CARIM School for Cardiovascular Diseases Maastricht University Medical Centre Maastricht The Netherlands
| | - Floris H B M Schreuder
- 6 Department of Neurology Donders Institute for Brain Cognition & Behaviour Radboud University Medical Centre Nijmegen The Netherlands
| | - Martine T B Truijman
- 2 Department of Neurology Maastricht University Medical Centre Maastricht The Netherlands
| | | | | | - Werner H Mess
- 3 Department of Clinical Neurophysiology Maastricht University Medical Centre Maastricht The Netherlands.,4 CARIM School for Cardiovascular Diseases Maastricht University Medical Centre Maastricht The Netherlands
| | - Paul A M Hofman
- 1 Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine Maastricht University Medical Centre Maastricht The Netherlands
| | - Robert J van Oostenbrugge
- 2 Department of Neurology Maastricht University Medical Centre Maastricht The Netherlands.,4 CARIM School for Cardiovascular Diseases Maastricht University Medical Centre Maastricht The Netherlands
| | - Joachim E Wildberger
- 1 Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine Maastricht University Medical Centre Maastricht The Netherlands.,4 CARIM School for Cardiovascular Diseases Maastricht University Medical Centre Maastricht The Netherlands
| | - M Eline Kooi
- 1 Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine Maastricht University Medical Centre Maastricht The Netherlands.,4 CARIM School for Cardiovascular Diseases Maastricht University Medical Centre Maastricht The Netherlands
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Crombag GAJC, Schreuder FHBM, van Hoof RHM, Truijman MTB, Wijnen NJA, Vöö SA, Nelemans PJ, Heeneman S, Nederkoorn PJ, Daemen JWH, Daemen MJAP, Mess WH, Wildberger JE, van Oostenbrugge RJ, Kooi ME. Microvasculature and intraplaque hemorrhage in atherosclerotic carotid lesions: a cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging study. J Cardiovasc Magn Reson 2019; 21:15. [PMID: 30832656 PMCID: PMC6398220 DOI: 10.1186/s12968-019-0524-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2018] [Accepted: 02/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The presence of intraplaque haemorrhage (IPH) has been related to plaque rupture, is associated with plaque progression, and predicts cerebrovascular events. However, the mechanisms leading to IPH are not fully understood. The dominant view is that IPH is caused by leakage of erythrocytes from immature microvessels. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether there is an association between atherosclerotic plaque microvasculature and presence of IPH in a relatively large prospective cohort study of patients with symptomatic carotid plaque. METHODS One hundred and thirty-two symptomatic patients with ≥2 mm carotid plaque underwent cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) of the symptomatic carotid plaque for detection of IPH and dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE)-CMR for assessment of plaque microvasculature. Ktrans, an indicator of microvascular flow, density and leakiness, was estimated using pharmacokinetic modelling in the vessel wall and adventitia. Statistical analysis was performed using an independent samples T-test and binary logistic regression, correcting for clinical risk factors. RESULTS A decreased vessel wall Ktrans was found for IPH positive patients (0.051 ± 0.011 min- 1 versus 0.058 ± 0.017 min- 1, p = 0.001). No significant difference in adventitial Ktrans was found in patients with and without IPH (0.057 ± 0.012 min- 1 and 0.057 ± 0.018 min- 1, respectively). Histological analysis in a subgroup of patients that underwent carotid endarterectomy demonstrated no significant difference in relative microvessel density between plaques without IPH (n = 8) and plaques with IPH (n = 15) (0.000333 ± 0.0000707 vs. and 0.000289 ± 0.0000439, p = 0.585). CONCLUSIONS A reduced vessel wall Ktrans is found in the presence of IPH. Thus, we did not find a positive association between plaque microvasculature and IPH several weeks after a cerebrovascular event. Not only leaky plaque microvessels, but additional factors may contribute to IPH development. TRIAL REGISTRATION NCT01208025 . Registration date September 23, 2010. Retrospectively registered (first inclusion September 21, 2010). NCT01709045 , date of registration October 17, 2012. Retrospectively registered (first inclusion August 23, 2011).
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Affiliation(s)
- Geneviève A. J. C. Crombag
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Maastricht University Medical Centre, P.O. Box 5800, 6202 AZ Maastricht, The Netherlands
- CARIM School for Cardiovascular Diseases, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Floris H. B. M. Schreuder
- Department of Neurology & Donders Institute for Brain Cognition & Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Raf H. M. van Hoof
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Maastricht University Medical Centre, P.O. Box 5800, 6202 AZ Maastricht, The Netherlands
- CARIM School for Cardiovascular Diseases, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Martine T. B. Truijman
- Department of Neurology, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Nicky J. A. Wijnen
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Maastricht University Medical Centre, P.O. Box 5800, 6202 AZ Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Stefan A. Vöö
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Maastricht University Medical Centre, P.O. Box 5800, 6202 AZ Maastricht, The Netherlands
- CARIM School for Cardiovascular Diseases, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Patty J. Nelemans
- Department of Epidemiology, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Sylvia Heeneman
- CARIM School for Cardiovascular Diseases, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
- Department of Pathology, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Paul J. Nederkoorn
- Department of Neurology, Academic Medical Centre, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Jan-Willem H. Daemen
- Department of Surgery, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Mat J. A. P. Daemen
- Department of Pathology, Academic Medical Centre, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Werner H. Mess
- CARIM School for Cardiovascular Diseases, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
- Clinical Neurophysiology, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - J. E. Wildberger
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Maastricht University Medical Centre, P.O. Box 5800, 6202 AZ Maastricht, The Netherlands
- CARIM School for Cardiovascular Diseases, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Robert J. van Oostenbrugge
- CARIM School for Cardiovascular Diseases, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
- Department of Neurology, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - M. Eline Kooi
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Maastricht University Medical Centre, P.O. Box 5800, 6202 AZ Maastricht, The Netherlands
- CARIM School for Cardiovascular Diseases, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
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Alexander MD, de Havenon A, Kim SE, Parker DL, McNally JS. Assessment of quantitative methods for enhancement measurement on vessel wall magnetic resonance imaging evaluation of intracranial atherosclerosis. Neuroradiology 2019; 61:643-650. [PMID: 30675639 DOI: 10.1007/s00234-019-02167-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2018] [Accepted: 01/11/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE Quantitative measures of vessel wall magnetic resonance imaging (vwMRI) for the evaluation of intracranial atherosclerotic disease (ICAD) offers standardization not available with previously used qualitative approaches that may be difficult to replicate. METHODS vwMRI studies performed to evaluate ICAD that had caused a stroke were analyzed. Two blinded reviewers qualitatively rated culprit lesions for the presence of enhancement on T1 delay alternating with nutation for tailored excitation (DANTE) SPACE images. At least 3 months later, quantitative analysis was performed of the same images, comparing lesion enhancement to reference structures. Cohen's kappa and intraclass correlation coefficients were calculated to assess agreement. Ratios of enhancement of lesions to references were compared to qualitative ratings. RESULTS Studies from 54 patients met inclusion criteria. A mean of 49 (90.7%) lesions were qualitatively rated as enhancing, with good inter-rater agreement (κ = 0.783). Among reference structure candidates, low infundibulum demonstrated the highest inter-rater agreement on pre- and post-contrast imaging. The ratio of percentage increase in plaque signal following contrast to the same measure in low infundibulum demonstrated the highest agreement with qualitative assessment, with highest agreement seen with a ratio of 0.8 set as a threshold (κ = 0.675). CONCLUSION Quantitative metrics can yield objective data to better standardize techniques and acceptance of vwMRI evaluation of ICAD. The low infundibulum had the highest inter-rater agreement on both pre- and post-contrast images and is best suited as a normally enhancing reference structure. Such quantitative techniques should be implemented in future research of vwMRI for the evaluation of ICAD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew D Alexander
- Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA. .,Department of Neurosurgery, University of Utah, 30 North 1900 East, Room 1A071, Salt Lake City, UT, 84132, USA.
| | - Adam de Havenon
- Department of Neurology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Seong-Eun Kim
- Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Dennis L Parker
- Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Joseph S McNally
- Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
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Wang E, Shao S, Li S, Yan P, Xiang Y, Wang X, Li J, Wang G, Sun Q, Du Y. A High-Resolution MRI Study of the Relationship Between Plaque Enhancement and Ischemic Stroke Events in Patients With Intracranial Atherosclerotic Stenosis. Front Neurol 2019; 9:1154. [PMID: 30671018 PMCID: PMC6331481 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2018.01154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2018] [Accepted: 12/13/2018] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Purpose: To investigate the relationships among the degree of intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis (ICAS), plaque enhancement (PE), and ischemic stroke events (ISEs) using 3. 0 T high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (HR-MRI). Materials and Methods: Fifty-two ICAS patients who underwent HR-MRI were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were divided into two groups according to the results of whole-brain digital subtraction angiography (DSA): the mild-moderate stenosis group (group MID) and the severe stenosis group (group SEV). According to the onset time of the ISEs, the plaques were divided into the acute/sub-acute phase culprit plaque group (group ACU, within 1 month), the chronic-phase culprit plaque group (group CHR, more than 1 month), and the non-culprit plaque group (group NON). Two neuroradiologists independently measured the signal intensity of PE and pituitary enhancement in the HR-MRI and calculated the ratio of the two indices. According to the ratio, the patients were divided into three groups: the marked enhancement group (group MA), the mild enhancement group (group ME), and the no enhancement plaque group (group NO). The relationships among the degree of ICAS, the degree of PE and ISEs were analyzed. Results: Seventy-two ICAS plaques were identified in 52 patients. The multiple independent samples Kruskal-Wallis H test showed that the differences among group ACU, CHR, and NON were significant in the degree of PE (P = 0.002). Group CHR and group NON were combined as the non-acute phase group (group non-ACU). Group NO and group ME were combined as the non-marked enhancement group (group non-MA). The comparison between group ACU and group non-ACU showed significant differences in the degree of both ICAS (P = 0.014) and PE (P = 0.006) according to the univariate logistic regression. The multivariate logistic regression model was used to analyze the impact of the degree of ICAS and PE on ISEs, and the results showed that severe stenosis (P = 0.036) and marked PE (P = 0.013) were independent risk factors for acute ISEs, respectively. Conclusion: Severe intracranial arterial stenosis and marked plaque enhancement are independent risk factors for acute ischemic stroke events, respectively. The study provides new ideas for further exploring the pathogenesis of stroke caused by intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- ErLing Wang
- Department of Neurology, Shandong Provincial Hospital affiliated to Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Sai Shao
- Department of Radiology, Shandong Medical Imaging Research Institute, Jinan, China
| | - Shan Li
- Department of Neurology, Shandong Provincial Hospital affiliated to Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Peng Yan
- Department of Neurology, Shandong Provincial Hospital affiliated to Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - YuanYuan Xiang
- Department of Neurology, Shandong Provincial Hospital affiliated to Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Xiang Wang
- Department of Neurology, Shandong Provincial Hospital affiliated to Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - JiFeng Li
- Department of Neurology, Shandong Provincial Hospital affiliated to Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Guangbin Wang
- Department of Radiology, Shandong Medical Imaging Research Institute, Jinan, China
| | - QinJian Sun
- Department of Neurology, Shandong Provincial Hospital affiliated to Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - YiFeng Du
- Department of Neurology, Shandong Provincial Hospital affiliated to Shandong University, Jinan, China
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Lee HN, Ryu CW, Yun SJ. Vessel-Wall Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Intracranial Atherosclerotic Plaque and Ischemic Stroke: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Front Neurol 2018; 9:1032. [PMID: 30559708 PMCID: PMC6287366 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2018.01032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2018] [Accepted: 11/16/2018] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction: Vessel-wall magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been suggested as a valuable tool for assessing intracranial arterial stenosis with additional diagnostic features. However, there is limited conclusive evidence on whether vessel-wall MR imaging of intracranial atherosclerotic plaques provides valuable information for predicting vulnerable lesions. We conducted this systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate which characteristics of intracranial-plaque on vessel-wall MRI are markers of culprit lesions. Methods: The MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library of Clinical Trials databases were searched for studies reporting the association between vessel-wall MRI characteristics of intracranial plaque and corresponding stroke events. Odds ratios (ORs) for the prevalence of stroke with intracranial-plaque MRI characteristics were pooled in a meta-analysis using a random-effects model. Results: Twenty studies were included in this review. We found a significant association between plaque enhancement (OR, 10.09; 95% CI, 5.38-18.93), positive remodeling (OR, 6.19; 95% CI, 3.22-11.92), and plaque surface irregularity (OR, 3.94; 95% CI, 1.90-8.16) with stroke events. However, no significant difference was found for the presence of eccentricity (OR, 1.22; 95% CI, 0.51-2.91). Conclusion: Based on current evidence, intracranial plaque contrast enhancement, positive remodeling, and plaque irregularity on MRI are associated with increased risk of stroke events. Our findings support the design of future studies on intracranial-plaque MRI and decision making for the management of intracranial atherosclerotic plaques.
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Affiliation(s)
- Han Na Lee
- Department of Radiology, Kyung Hee University Hospital at Gangdong, School of Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Chang-Woo Ryu
- Department of Radiology, Kyung Hee University Hospital at Gangdong, School of Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Seong Jong Yun
- Department of Radiology, Kyung Hee University Hospital at Gangdong, School of Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, South Korea
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Wang N, Christodoulou AG, Xie Y, Wang Z, Deng Z, Zhou B, Lee S, Fan Z, Chang H, Yu W, Li D. Quantitative 3D dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) MR imaging of carotid vessel wall by fast T1 mapping using Multitasking. Magn Reson Med 2018; 81:2302-2314. [PMID: 30368891 DOI: 10.1002/mrm.27553] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2018] [Revised: 09/05/2018] [Accepted: 09/07/2018] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE To develop a dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) MRI method capable of high spatiotemporal resolution, 3D carotid coverage, and T1-based quantification of contrast agent concentration for the assessment of carotid atherosclerosis using a newly developed Multitasking technique. METHODS 5D imaging with 3 spatial dimensions, 1 T1 recovery dimension, and 1 DCE time dimension was performed using MR Multitasking based on low-rank tensor modeling, which allows direct T1 quantification with high spatiotemporal resolution (0.7 mm isotropic and 595 ms, respectively). Saturation recovery preparations followed by 3D segmented fast low angle shot readouts were implemented with Gaussian-density random 3D Cartesian sampling. A bulk motion removal scheme was developed to improve image quality. The proposed protocol was tested in phantom and human studies. In vivo scans were performed on 14 healthy subjects and 7 patients with carotid atherosclerosis. Kinetic parameters including area under the concentration versus time curve (AUC), vp , Ktrans , and ve were evaluated for each case. RESULTS Phantom experiments showed that T1 measurements using the proposed protocol were in good agreement with reference value ( R 2 = 0.96 ). In vivo studies demonstrated that AUC, vp , and Ktrans in the patient group were significantly higher than in the control group (0.63 ± 0.13 versus 0.42 ± 0.12, P < 0.001; 0.14 ± 0.05 versus 0.11 ± 0.03, P = 0.034; and 0.13 ± 0.04 versus 0.08 ± 0.02, P < 0.001, respectively). Results from repeated subjects showed good interscan reproducibility (intraclass correlation coefficient: vp , 0.83; Ktrans , 0.87; ve , 0.92; AUC, 0.94). CONCLUSION Multitasking DCE is a promising approach for quantitatively assessing the vascularity properties of the carotid vessel wall.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nan Wang
- Biomedical Imaging Research Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California.,Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Los Angeles, California
| | | | - Yibin Xie
- Biomedical Imaging Research Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California
| | - Zhenjia Wang
- Department of Radiology, Anzhen Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Zixin Deng
- Biomedical Imaging Research Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California
| | - Bill Zhou
- Biomedical Imaging Research Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California.,David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, California
| | - Sangeun Lee
- Biomedical Imaging Research Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California.,Severance Cardiovascular Hospital, Seoul, Korea.,College of Medicine, Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea
| | - Zhaoyang Fan
- Biomedical Imaging Research Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California
| | - Hyukjae Chang
- Severance Cardiovascular Hospital, Seoul, Korea.,College of Medicine, Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea
| | - Wei Yu
- Department of Radiology, Anzhen Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Debiao Li
- Biomedical Imaging Research Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California.,Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Los Angeles, California
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Usman A, Yuan J, Patterson AJ, Graves MJ, Varty K, Sadat U, Gillard JH. Neovascularization in Vertebral Artery Atheroma—A Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging-Based Comparative Study in Patients with Symptomatic and Asymptomatic Carotid Artery Disease. J Stroke Cerebrovasc Dis 2018; 27:2505-2512. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jstrokecerebrovasdis.2018.05.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2018] [Accepted: 05/06/2018] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
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38
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Heit JJ, Wintermark M. New developments in clinical ischemic stroke prevention and treatment and their imaging implications. J Cereb Blood Flow Metab 2018; 38:1533-1550. [PMID: 28195500 PMCID: PMC6125964 DOI: 10.1177/0271678x17694046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
Acute ischemic stroke results from blockage of a cerebral artery or impaired cerebral blood flow due to cervical or intracranial arterial stenosis. Ischemic stroke prevention seeks to minimize the risk of developing impaired cerebral perfusion by controlling vascular and cardiac disease risk factors. Similarly, ischemic stroke treatment aims to restore cerebral blood flow through recanalization of an occluded artery or dilation of a severely narrowed artery that supplies cerebral tissue. Stroke prevention and treatment are increasingly informed by imaging studies, and neurovascular and cerebral perfusion imaging has become essential in in guiding ischemic stroke prevention and treatment. Here we review the latest advances in ischemic stroke prevention and treatment with an emphasis on the neuroimaging principles emphasized in recent randomized trials. Future research directions that should be explored in ischemic stroke prevention and treatment are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeremy J Heit
- Department of Radiology, Neuroimaging and Neurointervention Division, Stanford University Hospital, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Max Wintermark
- Department of Radiology, Neuroimaging and Neurointervention Division, Stanford University Hospital, Stanford, CA, USA
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39
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Wu F, Ma Q, Song H, Guo X, Diniz MA, Song SS, Gonzalez NR, Bi X, Ji X, Li D, Yang Q, Fan Z. Differential Features of Culprit Intracranial Atherosclerotic Lesions: A Whole-Brain Vessel Wall Imaging Study in Patients With Acute Ischemic Stroke. J Am Heart Assoc 2018; 7:JAHA.118.009705. [PMID: 30033434 PMCID: PMC6201468 DOI: 10.1161/jaha.118.009705] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Background Intracranial atherosclerotic disease tends to affect multiple arterial segments. Using whole‐brain vessel wall imaging, we sought to study the differences in plaque features among various types of plaques in patients with a recent unilateral anterior circulation ischemic stroke. Methods and Results Sixty‐one patients with unilateral anterior circulation ischemic stroke were referred to undergo whole‐brain vessel wall imaging (before and after contrast) within 1 month of symptom onset for intracranial atherosclerotic disease evaluations. Each plaque was classified as a culprit, probably culprit, or nonculprit lesion, according to its likelihood of causing the stroke. The associations between plaque features (thickening pattern, plaque‐wall contrast ratio, high signal on T1‐weighted images, plaque contrast enhancement ratio, enhancement grade, and enhancement pattern) and culprit lesions were estimated using mixed multivariable logistic regression after adjustment for maximum wall thickness. In 52 patients without motion corruption in whole‐brain vessel wall imaging, a total of 178 intracranial plaques in the anterior circulation were identified, including 52 culprit lesions (29.2%), 51 probably culprit lesions (28.7%), and 75 nonculprit lesions (42.1%). High signal on T1‐weighted images (adjusted odds ratio, 9.1; 95% confidence interval, 1.9–44.1; P=0.006), grade 2 (enhancement ratio of plaque ≥ enhancement ratio of pituitary) contrast enhancement (adjusted odds ratio, 17.4; 95% confidence interval, 1.8–164.9; P=0.013), and type 2 (≥50% cross‐sectional wall involvement) enhancement pattern (adjusted odds ratio, 10.1; 95% confidence interval, 1.3–82.2; P=0.030) were independently associated with culprit lesions. Conclusions High signal on T1‐weighted images, grade 2 contrast enhancement, and type 2 enhancement pattern are associated with cerebrovascular ischemic events, which may provide valuable insights into risk stratification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fang Wu
- Department of Radiology, Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Qingfeng Ma
- Department of Neurology, Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Haiqing Song
- Department of Neurology, Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Xiuhai Guo
- Department of Neurology, Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Marcio A Diniz
- Biostatistics and Bioinformatics Research Center, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA
| | - Shlee S Song
- Department of Neurology, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA
| | - Nestor R Gonzalez
- Department of Neurosurgery, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA
| | | | - Xunming Ji
- Department of Neurosurgery, Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Debiao Li
- Biomedical Imaging Research Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA.,Departments of Medicine and Bioengineering, University of California, Los Angeles, CA
| | - Qi Yang
- Department of Radiology, Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China .,Biomedical Imaging Research Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA
| | - Zhaoyang Fan
- Biomedical Imaging Research Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA .,Departments of Medicine and Bioengineering, University of California, Los Angeles, CA
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Pereira T, Betriu A, Alves R. Non-invasive imaging techniques and assessment of carotid vasa vasorum neovascularization: Promises and pitfalls. Trends Cardiovasc Med 2018; 29:71-80. [PMID: 29970286 DOI: 10.1016/j.tcm.2018.06.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2018] [Revised: 06/12/2018] [Accepted: 06/14/2018] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Carotid adventitia vasa vasorum neovascularization (VVn) is associated with the initial stages of arteriosclerosis and with the formation of unstable plaque. However, techniques to accurately quantify that neovascularization in a standard, fast, non-invasive, and efficient way are still lacking. The development of such techniques holds the promise of enabling wide, inexpensive, and safe screening programs that could stratify patients and help in personalized preventive cardiovascular medicine. In this paper, we review the recent scientific literature pertaining to imaging techniques that could set the stage for the development of standard methods for quantitative assessment of atherosclerotic plaque and carotid VVn. We present and discuss the alternative imaging techniques being used in clinical practice and we review the computational developments that are contributing to speed up image analysis and interpretation. We conclude that one of the greatest upcoming challenges will be the use of machine learning techniques to develop automated methods that assist in the interpretation of images to stratify patients according to their risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- T Pereira
- Institute for Biomedical Research in Lleida Dr. Pifarré Foundation, Catalonia, Spain; Departament de Ciències Mèdiques Bàsiques, University of Lleida, Catalonia, Spain.
| | - A Betriu
- Unit for the Detection and Treatment of Atherothrombotic Diseases, Hospital Universitari Arnau de Vilanova de Lleida, Catalonia, Spain; Vascular and Renal Translational Research Group - IRBLleida, Catalonia, Spain
| | - R Alves
- Institute for Biomedical Research in Lleida Dr. Pifarré Foundation, Catalonia, Spain; Departament de Ciències Mèdiques Bàsiques, University of Lleida, Catalonia, Spain
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41
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Saba L, Yuan C, Hatsukami TS, Balu N, Qiao Y, DeMarco JK, Saam T, Moody AR, Li D, Matouk CC, Johnson MH, Jäger HR, Mossa-Basha M, Kooi ME, Fan Z, Saloner D, Wintermark M, Mikulis DJ, Wasserman BA. Carotid Artery Wall Imaging: Perspective and Guidelines from the ASNR Vessel Wall Imaging Study Group and Expert Consensus Recommendations of the American Society of Neuroradiology. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol 2018; 39:E9-E31. [PMID: 29326139 DOI: 10.3174/ajnr.a5488] [Citation(s) in RCA: 176] [Impact Index Per Article: 29.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Identification of carotid artery atherosclerosis is conventionally based on measurements of luminal stenosis and surface irregularities using in vivo imaging techniques including sonography, CT and MR angiography, and digital subtraction angiography. However, histopathologic studies demonstrate considerable differences between plaques with identical degrees of stenosis and indicate that certain plaque features are associated with increased risk for ischemic events. The ability to look beyond the lumen using highly developed vessel wall imaging methods to identify plaque vulnerable to disruption has prompted an active debate as to whether a paradigm shift is needed to move away from relying on measurements of luminal stenosis for gauging the risk of ischemic injury. Further evaluation in randomized clinical trials will help to better define the exact role of plaque imaging in clinical decision-making. However, current carotid vessel wall imaging techniques can be informative. The goal of this article is to present the perspective of the ASNR Vessel Wall Imaging Study Group as it relates to the current status of arterial wall imaging in carotid artery disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Saba
- From the Department of Medical Imaging (L.S.), University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - C Yuan
- Departments of Radiology (C.Y., N.B., M.M.-B.)
| | - T S Hatsukami
- Surgery (T.S.H.), University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
| | - N Balu
- Departments of Radiology (C.Y., N.B., M.M.-B.)
| | - Y Qiao
- The Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences (Y.Q., B.A.W.), Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - J K DeMarco
- Department of Radiology (J.K.D.), Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - T Saam
- Department of Radiology (T.S.), Ludwig-Maximilian University Hospital, Munich, Germany
| | - A R Moody
- Department of Medical Imaging (A.R.M.), Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - D Li
- Biomedical Imaging Research Institute (D.L., Z.F.), Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California
| | - C C Matouk
- Departments of Neurosurgery, Neurovascular and Stroke Programs (C.C.M., M.H.J.).,Radiology and Biomedical Imaging (C.C.M., M.H.J.)
| | - M H Johnson
- Departments of Neurosurgery, Neurovascular and Stroke Programs (C.C.M., M.H.J.).,Radiology and Biomedical Imaging (C.C.M., M.H.J.).,Surgery (M.H.J.), Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - H R Jäger
- Neuroradiological Academic Unit (H.R.J.), Department of Brain Repair and Rehabilitation, University College London Institute of Neurology, London, UK
| | | | - M E Kooi
- Department of Radiology (M.E.K.), CARIM School for Cardiovascular Diseases, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Z Fan
- Biomedical Imaging Research Institute (D.L., Z.F.), Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California
| | - D Saloner
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging (D.S.), University of California, San Francisco, California
| | - M Wintermark
- Department of Radiology (M.W.), Neuroradiology Division, Stanford University, Stanford, California
| | - D J Mikulis
- Division of Neuroradiology (D.J.M.), Department of Medical Imaging, University Health Network
| | - B A Wasserman
- The Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences (Y.Q., B.A.W.), Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland
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42
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Chistiakov DA, Melnichenko AA, Myasoedova VA, Grechko AV, Orekhov AN. Role of lipids and intraplaque hypoxia in the formation of neovascularization in atherosclerosis. Ann Med 2017; 49:661-677. [PMID: 28797175 DOI: 10.1080/07853890.2017.1366041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
According to the current paradigm, chronic vascular inflammation plays a central role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. The plaque progression is typically completed with rupture and subsequent acute cardiovascular complications. Previously, the role of adventitial vasa vasorum in atherogenesis was underestimated. However, investigators then revealed that vasa vasorum neovascularization can be observed when no clinical manifestation of atherosclerosis is present. Vasa vasorum is involved in various proatherogenic processes such as intimal accumulation of inflammatory leukocytes, intimal thickening, necrotic core formation, intraplaque haemorrhage, lesion rupture and atherothrombosis. Due to the destabilizing action of the intraplaque microenvironment, lesional vasa vasorum neovessels experience serious defects and abnormalities during development that leads to their immaturity, fragility and leakage. Indeed, intraplaque neovessels are a main cause of intraplaque haemorrhage. Visualization techniques showed that presence of neovascularization/haemorrhage can serve as a good indicator of lesion instability and higher risk of rupture. Vasa vasorum density is a strong predictor of acute cardiovascular events such as sudden death, myocardial infarction and stroke. At present, arterial vasa vasorum neovascularization is under intensive investigation along with development of therapeutic tools focused on the control of formation of vasa vasorum neovessels in order to prevent plaque haemorrhage/rupture and thromboembolism. KEY MESSAGE Neovascularization plays an important role in atherosclerosis, being involved in unstable plaque formation. Presence of neovascularization and haemorrhage indicates plaque instability and risk of rupture. Various imaging techniques are available to study neovascularization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dimitry A Chistiakov
- a Department of Neurochemistry, Division of Basic and Applied Neurobiology , Serbsky Federal Medical Research Center of Psychiatry and Narcology , Moscow , Russia
| | - Alexandra A Melnichenko
- b Laboratory of Angiopathology , Institute of General Pathology and Pathophysiology, Russian Academy of Medical Sciences , Moscow , Russia
| | - Veronika A Myasoedova
- b Laboratory of Angiopathology , Institute of General Pathology and Pathophysiology, Russian Academy of Medical Sciences , Moscow , Russia
| | - Andrey V Grechko
- c Federal Research and Clinical Center of Intensive Care Medicine and Rehabilitology , Moscow , Russia
| | - Alexander N Orekhov
- b Laboratory of Angiopathology , Institute of General Pathology and Pathophysiology, Russian Academy of Medical Sciences , Moscow , Russia.,d Institute for Atherosclerosis Research, Skolkovo Innovative Center , Moscow , Russia
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43
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van Hoof RHM, Schreuder FHBM, Nelemans P, Truijman MTB, van Orshoven NP, Schreuder TH, Mess WH, Heeneman S, van Oostenbrugge RJ, Wildberger JE, Kooi ME. Ischemic Stroke Patients Demonstrate Increased Carotid Plaque Microvasculature Compared to (Ocular) Transient Ischemic Attack Patients. Cerebrovasc Dis 2017; 44:297-303. [PMID: 28946147 DOI: 10.1159/000481146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2016] [Accepted: 08/24/2017] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Patients with a recent ischemic stroke have a higher risk of recurrent stroke compared to (ocular) transient ischemic attack (TIA) patients. Plaque microvasculature is considered as a feature of plaque vulnerability and can be quantified with carotid dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI). The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to explore the association between plaque microvasculature and the type of recent cerebrovascular events in symptomatic patients with mild-to-moderate carotid stenosis. METHODS A total of 87 symptomatic patients with a recent stroke (n = 35) or (ocular) TIA (n = 52) underwent carotid DCE-MRI examination. Plaque microvasculature was studied in the vessel wall and adventitia using DCE-MRI and the pharmacokinetic modeling parameter Ktrans. Statistical analysis was performed with logistic regression, correcting for associated clinical risk factors. RESULTS The 75th percentile adventitial (OR 1.97, 95% CI 1.18-3.29) Ktrans was significantly associated with a recent ischemic stroke compared to (ocular) TIA in multivariate analysis, while clinical risk factors were not significantly associated with the type of event. CONCLUSIONS This study indicates a positive association of leaky plaque microvasculature with a recent ischemic stroke compared to (ocular) TIA. Prospective longitudinal studies are needed to investigate whether Ktrans or other plaque characteristics may serve as an imaging marker for predicting (the type of) future cerebrovascular events.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raf H M van Hoof
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands
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44
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Incremental Value of Plaque Enhancement in Patients with Moderate or Severe Basilar Artery Stenosis: 3.0 T High-Resolution Magnetic Resonance Study. BIOMED RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2017; 2017:4281629. [PMID: 29075645 PMCID: PMC5623789 DOI: 10.1155/2017/4281629] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2017] [Revised: 06/07/2017] [Accepted: 07/16/2017] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Aim To investigate the clinical relevance of plaque's morphological characteristics and distribution pattern using 3.0 T high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (HRMRI) in patients with moderate or severe basilar artery (BA) atherosclerosis stenosis. Materials and Methods Fifty-seven patients (33 symptomatic patients and 24 asymptomatic patients) were recruited for 3.0 T HRMRI scan; all of them had >50% stenosis on the BA. The intraplaque hemorrhage (IPH), contrast-enhancement pattern, and distribution of BA plaques were compared between the symptomatic and asymptomatic groups. Factors potentially associated with posterior ischemic stroke were calculated by multivariate analyses. Results Enhancement of BA plaque was more frequently observed in symptomatic than in asymptomatic patients (27/33, 81.8% versus 11/24, 45.8%; p < 0.01). In multivariate regression analysis, plaque enhancement (OR = 7.193; 95% CI: 1.880–27.517; p = 0.004) and smoking (OR = 4.402; 95% CI: 2.218–15.909; p = 0.024) were found to be independent risk factors of posterior ischemic events in patients with BA stenosis >50%. Plaques were mainly distributed at the ventral site (39.3%) or involved more than two arcs (21.2%) in the symptomatic group but were mainly distributed at left (33.3%) and right (25.0%) sites in the asymptomatic group.
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45
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Coolen BF, Calcagno C, van Ooij P, Fayad ZA, Strijkers GJ, Nederveen AJ. Vessel wall characterization using quantitative MRI: what's in a number? MAGNETIC RESONANCE MATERIALS IN PHYSICS BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE 2017; 31:201-222. [PMID: 28808823 PMCID: PMC5813061 DOI: 10.1007/s10334-017-0644-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2017] [Revised: 07/04/2017] [Accepted: 07/18/2017] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
The past decade has witnessed the rapid development of new MRI technology for vessel wall imaging. Today, with advances in MRI hardware and pulse sequences, quantitative MRI of the vessel wall represents a real alternative to conventional qualitative imaging, which is hindered by significant intra- and inter-observer variability. Quantitative MRI can measure several important morphological and functional characteristics of the vessel wall. This review provides a detailed introduction to novel quantitative MRI methods for measuring vessel wall dimensions, plaque composition and permeability, endothelial shear stress and wall stiffness. Together, these methods show the versatility of non-invasive quantitative MRI for probing vascular disease at several stages. These quantitative MRI biomarkers can play an important role in the context of both treatment response monitoring and risk prediction. Given the rapid developments in scan acceleration techniques and novel image reconstruction, we foresee the possibility of integrating the acquisition of multiple quantitative vessel wall parameters within a single scan session.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bram F Coolen
- Department of Biomedical Engineering and Physics, Academic Medical Center, PO BOX 22660, 1100 DD, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. .,Department of Radiology, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
| | - Claudia Calcagno
- Translational and Molecular Imaging Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.,Department of Radiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Pim van Ooij
- Department of Radiology, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Zahi A Fayad
- Translational and Molecular Imaging Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.,Department of Radiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Gustav J Strijkers
- Department of Biomedical Engineering and Physics, Academic Medical Center, PO BOX 22660, 1100 DD, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Aart J Nederveen
- Department of Radiology, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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46
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Wang J, Chen H, Sun J, Hippe DS, Zhang H, Yu S, Cai J, Xie L, Cui B, Yuan C, Zhao X, Yuan W, Liu H. Dynamic contrast-enhanced MR imaging of carotid vasa vasorum in relation to coronary and cerebrovascular events. Atherosclerosis 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.atherosclerosis.2017.06.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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47
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Qi H, Huang F, Zhou Z, Koken P, Balu N, Zhang B, Yuan C, Chen H. Large coverage black-bright blood interleaved imaging sequence (LaBBI) for 3D dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI of vessel wall. Magn Reson Med 2017. [PMID: 28626998 DOI: 10.1002/mrm.26786] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE To propose a large coverage black-bright blood interleaved imaging sequence (LaBBI) for 3D dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI) of the vessel wall. METHODS LaBBI consists of a 3D black-blood stack-of-stars golden angle radial acquisition with high spatial resolution for vessel wall imaging and a 2D bright-blood Cartesian acquisition with high temporal resolution for arterial input function estimation. The two acquisitions were performed in an interleaved fashion within a single scan. Simulations, phantom experiments, and in vivo tests in three patients were performed to investigate the feasibility and performance of the proposed LaBBI. RESULTS In simulation tests, the estimated Ktrans and vp by LaBBI were more accurate than conventional bright-blood DCE-MRI with lower root mean square error in all the tested conditions. In phantom test, no signal interference was found on the 2D scan in LaBBI. Pharmacokinetic analysis of the patients' data acquired by LaBBI showed that Ktrans was higher in fibrous tissue (0.0717 ± 0.0279 min-1 ), while lower in necrotic core (0.0206 ± 0.0040 min-1 ) and intraplaque hemorrhage (0.0078 ± 0.0007 min-1 ), compared with normal vessel wall (0.0273 ± 0.0052 min-1 ). CONCLUSION The proposed LaBBI sequence, with high spatial and temporal resolution, and large coverage blood suppression, was promising to probe the perfusion properties of vessel wall lesions. Magn Reson Med 79:1334-1344, 2018. © 2017 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haikun Qi
- Center for Biomedical Imaging Research, Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | | | | | | | - Niranjan Balu
- Department of Radiology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | | | - Chun Yuan
- Center for Biomedical Imaging Research, Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.,Department of Radiology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Huijun Chen
- Center for Biomedical Imaging Research, Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
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48
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Yuan J, Makris G, Patterson A, Usman A, Das T, Priest A, Teng Z, Hilborne S, Prudencio D, Gillard J, Graves M. Relationship between carotid plaque surface morphology and perfusion: a 3D DCE-MRI study. MAGNETIC RESONANCE MATERIALS IN PHYSICS BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE 2017; 31:191-199. [PMID: 28455630 PMCID: PMC5813060 DOI: 10.1007/s10334-017-0621-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2016] [Revised: 04/10/2017] [Accepted: 04/11/2017] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
Objective This study aims to explore the relationship between plaque surface morphology and neovascularization using a high temporal and spatial resolution 4D contrast-enhanced MRI/MRA sequence. Materials and methods Twenty one patients with either recent symptoms or a carotid artery stenosis ≥40% were recruited in this study. Plaque surface morphology and luminal stenosis were determined from the arterial phase MRA images. Carotid neovascularization was evaluated by a previously validated pharmacokinetic (PK) modeling approach. Ktrans (transfer constant) and vp (partial plasma volume) were calculated in both the adventitia and plaque. Results Image acquisition and analysis was successfully performed in 28 arteries. Mean luminal stenosis was 44% (range 11–82%). Both adventitial and plaque Ktrans in ulcerated/irregular plaques were significantly higher than smooth plaques (0.079 ± 0.018 vs. 0.064 ± 0.011 min−1, p = 0.02; 0.065 ± 0.013 vs. 0.055 ± 0.010 min−1, p = 0.03, respectively). Positive correlations between adventitial Ktrans and vp against stenosis were observed (r = 0.44, p = 0.02; r = 0.55, p = 0.01, respectively). Conclusion This study demonstrates the feasibility of using a single sequence to acquire both high resolution 4D CE-MRA and DCE-MRI to evaluate both plaque surface morphology and function. The results demonstrate significant relationships between lumen surface morphology and neovascularization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianmin Yuan
- Department of Radiology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
| | - Gregory Makris
- Department of Radiology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Andrew Patterson
- Department of Radiology, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, UK
| | - Ammara Usman
- Department of Radiology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Tilak Das
- Department of Radiology, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, UK
| | - Andrew Priest
- Department of Radiology, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, UK
| | - Zhongzhao Teng
- Department of Radiology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Sarah Hilborne
- Department of Radiology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Dario Prudencio
- Department of Radiology, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, UK
| | | | - Martin Graves
- Department of Radiology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Radiology, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, UK
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Vrachatis DA, Papaioannou TG, Vavuranakis M, Tousoulis D. In Vivo Assessment of Atherosclerotic Plaque Neovascularization by Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound: An Unsolved Mystery? J Am Soc Echocardiogr 2017; 30:724. [PMID: 28395913 DOI: 10.1016/j.echo.2017.02.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2017] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Dimitrios A Vrachatis
- Biomedical Engineering Unit, First Department of Cardiology, Hippokration Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Theodore G Papaioannou
- Biomedical Engineering Unit, First Department of Cardiology, Hippokration Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Manolis Vavuranakis
- Biomedical Engineering Unit, First Department of Cardiology, Hippokration Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Dimitrios Tousoulis
- Biomedical Engineering Unit, First Department of Cardiology, Hippokration Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
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50
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Imaging atherosclerosis in rheumatoid arthritis: evidence for increased prevalence, altered phenotype and a link between systemic and localised plaque inflammation. Sci Rep 2017; 7:827. [PMID: 28400572 PMCID: PMC5429790 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-00989-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2017] [Accepted: 03/17/2017] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
In rheumatoid arthritis (RA), chronic inflammation is thought to drive increased cardiovascular risk through accelerated atherosclerosis. It may also lead to a more high-risk plaque phenotype. We sought to investigate carotid plaque phenotype in RA patients using Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI) and Fludeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography(FDG-PET). In this pilot study, RA patients and age/sex-matched controls were evaluated for cardiovascular risk factors and carotid plaque on ultrasound. Subjects with plaque >2 mm thick underwent DCE-MRI, and a subgroup of patients had FDG-PET. Comparison of MRI findings between groups and correlation between clinical, serological markers and imaging findings was undertaken. 130 patients and 62 controls were recruited. Plaque was more prevalent in the RA group (53.1% vs 37.0%, p = 0.038) and was independently associated with IL6 levels (HR[95%CI]: 2.03 [1.26, 3.26] per quartile). DCE-MRI data were available in 15 patients and 5 controls. Higher prevalence of plaque calcification was noted in RA, despite similar plaque size (73.3% vs 20%, p = 0.04). FDG-PET detected plaque inflammation in 12/13 patients scanned and degree of inflammation correlated with hs-CRP (r = 0.58, p = 0.04). This study confirms increased prevalence of atherosclerosis in RA and provides data to support the hypothesis that patients have a high-risk plaque phenotype.
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