HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Figures Only Full Text Full Text (PDF) Submit a response Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Saam, T. Articles by Yuan, C. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Saam, T. Articles by Yuan, C.

Comparison of Symptomatic and Asymptomatic Atherosclerotic Carotid Plaque Features with in Vivo MR Imaging¹

¹ From the Departments of Radiology (T.S., M.S.F., C.Y.) and Surgery (T.S.H.), University of Washington, 815 Mercer St, Box 358050, Seattle, WA 98109; Department of Radiology, People's Liberation Army General Hospital, Beijing, China (J.C., L.M., Y.Q.C.); Mountain-Whisper-Light Statistical Consulting, Seattle, Wash (N.L.P.); and Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, Wash (T.S.H.). Received March 7, 2005; revision requested May 2; revision received July 18; accepted August 11; final version accepted October 3. Supported by NIH grants R01HL56874, P01HL072262, and R01HL073401. Address correspondence to T.S. (e-mail: Tobias.Saam{at}med.uni-muenchen.de).

Purpose: To retrospectively determine if in vivo magnetic resonance (MR) imaging can simultaneously depict differences between symptomatic and asymptomatic carotid atherosclerotic plaque.

Materials and Methods: Institutional review board approval and informed consent were obtained for this HIPAA-compliant study. Twenty-three patients (21 men, two women; mean age, 66.1 years ± 11.0 [standard deviation]) with unilateral symptomatic carotid disease underwent 1.5-T time-of-flight MR angiography and 1.5-T T1-, intermediate-, and T2-weighted MR imaging. Both carotid arteries were reviewed. One observer recorded quantitative and morphologic information, which included measurement of the area of the lumen, artery wall, and main plaque components; fibrous cap status (thick, thin, or ruptured); American Heart Association (AHA) lesion type (types I–VIII); and location (juxtaluminal vs intraplaque) and type of hemorrhage. Plaques associated with neurologic symptoms and asymptomatic plaques were compared with Wilcoxon signed rank and McNemar tests.

Results: Compared with asymptomatic plaques, symptomatic plaques had a higher incidence of fibrous cap rupture (P = .007), juxtaluminal hemorrhage or thrombus (P = .039), type I hemorrhage (P = .021), and complicated AHA type VI lesions (P = .004) and a lower incidence of uncomplicated AHA type IV and V lesions (P = .005). Symptomatic plaques also had larger hemorrhage (P = .003) and loose matrix (P = .014) areas and a smaller lumen area (P = .008). No significant differences between symptomatic and asymptomatic plaques were found for quantitative measurements of the lipid-rich necrotic core, calcification, and the vessel wall or for the occurrence of intraplaque hemorrhage or type II hemorrhage.

Conclusion: This study revealed significant differences between symptomatic and asymptomatic plaques in the same patient.

© RSNA, 2006

This article has been cited by other articles:

				L. Saba, R. Sanfilippo, L. Pascalis, R. Montisci, and G. Mallarini Carotid Artery Abnormalities and Leukoaraiosis in Elderly Patients: Evaluation with MDCT Am. J. Roentgenol., February 1, 2009; 192(2): W63 - W70. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J M U-King-Im, T Y Tang, A Patterson, M J Graves, S Howarth, Z-Y Li, R Trivedi, D Bowden, P J Kirkpatrick, M E Gaunt, et al. Characterisation of carotid atheroma in symptomatic and asymptomatic patients using high resolution MRI J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatry, August 1, 2008; 79(8): 905 - 912. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. N. Redgrave, P. Gallagher, J. K. Lovett, and P. M. Rothwell Critical Cap Thickness and Rupture in Symptomatic Carotid Plaques: The Oxford Plaque Study Stroke, June 1, 2008; 39(6): 1722 - 1729. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				C. Yuan Carotid atherosclerosis and magnetic resonance imaging. J. Am. Coll. Cardiol. Img., January 1, 2008; 1(1): 58 - 60. [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. Leclercq, X. Houard, M. Philippe, V. Ollivier, U. Sebbag, O. Meilhac, and J.-B. Michel Involvement of intraplaque hemorrhage in atherothrombosis evolution via neutrophil protease enrichment J. Leukoc. Biol., December 1, 2007; 82(6): 1420 - 1429. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				T. Y. Tang, S. P. Howarth, S. R. Walsh, M. E. Gaunt, and J. H. Gillard Contralateral Carotid Intraplaque Hemorrhage May Reduce the Predictive Value of Fat-Suppressed T1-Weighted MRI in Symptomatic Carotid Disease Stroke, December 1, 2007; 38(12): e156 - e157. [Full Text] [PDF]

				L. G. Spagnoli, E. Bonanno, G. Sangiorgi, and A. Mauriello Role of Inflammation in Atherosclerosis J. Nucl. Med., November 1, 2007; 48(11): 1800 - 1815. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				T. Saam, T. S. Hatsukami, N. Takaya, B. Chu, H. Underhill, W. S. Kerwin, J. Cai, M. S. Ferguson, and C. Yuan The Vulnerable, or High-Risk, Atherosclerotic Plaque: Noninvasive MR Imaging for Characterization and Assessment Radiology, July 1, 2007; 244(1): 64 - 77. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A.D. Hardie, C.M. Kramer, P. Raghavan, E. Baskurt, and K.R. Nandalur The Impact of Expansive Arterial Remodeling on Clinical Presentation in Carotid Artery Disease: A Multidetector CT Angiography Study AJNR Am. J. Neuroradiol., June 1, 2007; 28(6): 1067 - 1070. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]