Carotid artery atherosclerosis: in vivo morphologic characterization with gadolinium-enhanced double-oblique MR imaging initial results.
In nine subjects with carotid atherosclerosis, double-oblique, contrast material-enhanced, double inversion-recovery, fast spin-echo magnetic resonance (MR) images were acquired through atheroma in the proximal internal carotid artery. Fibrocellular tissue within atheroma selectively enhanced 29% after administration of gadolinium-based contrast agent. Contrast enhancement helped discriminate fibrous cap from lipid core with a contrast-to-noise ratio as good as or better than that with T2-weighted MR images but with approximately twice the signal-to-noise ratio (postcontrast images, 36.6 +/- 3.6; T2-weighted images, 17.5 +/- 2.1; P <.001).
Wasserman
Bruce A
BA
Department of Radiology, Neuroradiology Division, Johns Hopkins Hospital, 600 N Wolfe St, Phipps B-100, Baltimore, MD 21287-2182, USA. bwasser@rad.jhu.edu
Smith
William I
WI
Trout
Hugh H
HH
Cannon
Richard O
RO
Balaban
Robert S
RS
Arai
Andrew E
AE
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002340:Carotid Artery Diseases / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D003287:Contrast Media; D016894:Endarterectomy, Carotid; D005260:Female; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
D003287:Contrast Media; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA