Key result
DCE-MRI differentiates atherosclerotic plaque components by mapping transfer constant and partial plasma volume.
Why the study?
Dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI has been proposed to evaluate inflammation in atherosclerotic plaques, but its ability to provide localized measurements within different plaque compositions needed demonstration.
Does dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI differentiate atherosclerotic plaque components by measuring transfer constant and partial plasma volume in subjects with atherosclerotic plaque?
Observational (n=47)
Does dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI differentiate atherosclerotic plaque components by measuring transfer constant and partial plasma volume in subjects with atherosclerotic plaque?
Dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI can differentiate atherosclerotic plaque components by measuring transfer constant and partial plasma volume, offering a potential tool to assess localized inflammatory burden.
May enable noninvasive plaque inflammation mapping; leaves open histologic and outcome validation before clinical use.
Inflammation plays an important role in progression and rupture of atherosclerotic plaque. Dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI has been proposed as a tool to evaluate inflammation in vivo by measuring the transfer constant and partial plasma volume, which are influenced by inflammation. This study sought to demonstrate the ability of dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI to provide localized measurements of transfer constant and partial plasma volume within plaque regions of different compositions. In order to do that, a highly automatic procedure for localized measurement of dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI parameters was developed. In 47 subjects, the average transfer constant and partial plasma volume were highest in loose matrix and fibrous tissue and substantially lower in intraplaque hemorrhage, lipid rich/necrotic core, and calcification. In addition, except for hemorrhage and calcification, statistically significant differences of transfer constant and partial plasma volume were observed for any pair of these components. This suggests that transfer constant and partial plasma volume could be helpful to differentiate different plaque components and that dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI has the potential to assess inflammatory burden in specific regions.
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Chen et al. (2010) conducted an observational in Atherosclerotic plaque (n=47). Dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI was evaluated on Transfer constant and partial plasma volume across different plaque components. Dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI showed that transfer constant and partial plasma volume were highest in loose matrix and fibrous tissue, enabling differentiation of atherosclerotic plaque components.
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