MRI of carotid atherosclerosis provides detailed plaque characterization beyond simple stenosis and may improve patient management pending large-scale clinical trials.
MRI plaque imaging may refine carotid risk assessment beyond stenosis; leaves open whether it improves outcomes or management in routine practice.
OBJECTIVE: Although MRI is widely used to observe atherosclerosis impacts on the vessel lumen, MRI also depicts the size of the plaque itself, its composition, and plaque inflammation, providing information beyond simple stenosis. This article summarizes the state of evidence for a clinical role for MRI of carotid atherosclerosis. CONCLUSION: MRI of carotid atherosclerosis has a proven role in pharmaceutical trials and may improve patient management once large-scale clinical trials have been completed.
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Kerwin et al. (2013) studied this question.
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