Imaging of intracranial plaques with black-blood double inversion recovery MR imaging and CT.
BACKGROUND
We evaluated the feasibility of black-blood double inversion recovery magnetic resonance imaging (BBDIR) and CT imaging (CTI) for depiction of IAPs.


METHODS
We performed BBDIR on 20 control subjects and 13 patients with acute ischemic stroke. We measured the thickness of the normal vessel wall in control subjects and the maximal and minimal thickness of IAPs in patients on BBDIR. We evaluated signal intensity (SI) and the eccentricity of the IAP on BBDIR, and abnormal wall thickening and CT attenuation of IAPs on CTI. We correlated imaging features of BBDIR and CTI in the patients.


RESULTS
The difference of wall thickness between control and patient group was statistically significant (control subjects; basilar artery 0.6 mm, MCA 0.51 mm, and patients; maximal 2.34 mm, minimal 1.3 mm, P value≤.001). The IAP showed eccentric remodeling and heterogeneous SI with the regions of high SI on BBDIR. CTI could not reveal abnormality in 10 patients. Suspicious intraplaque hemorrhage and calcification was demonstrated in 3 patients by CTI.


CONCLUSIONS
BBDIR could reveal normal and abnormal wall of large intracranial arteries. CTI had limited role for detection of IAP, however, correlation of BBDIR and CTI could provide further characterization of the IAP's in terms of intraplaque calcification and hemorrhage.
Park
Ji Kang
JK
Department of Radiology, Jeju National University College of Medicine, Jeju, Korea. jkcontrast@naver.com
Kim
Seung Hyoung
SH
Kim
Bong Soo
BS
Choi
Gukmyung
G
Jeong
Sun Young
SY
Choi
Jay Chol
JC
D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D002537:Intracranial Arteriosclerosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D020521:Stroke / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods*