title: Imaging of intracranial plaques with black-blood double inversion recovery MR imaging and CT.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Jeju National University College of Medicine, Jeju, Korea. jkcontrast@naver.com
authors.forename: Ji Kang
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Seung Hyoung
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Bong Soo
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Gukmyung
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Sun Young
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Jeong
authors.forename: Jay Chol
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Choi
mesh_terms: 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*