title: Accuracy of MRI to identify the coronary artery plaque: a comparative study with intravascular ultrasound.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the ability of black-blood coronary arterial wall MRI to identify the coronary artery plaque, using intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) as the golden standard.
  
  
  METHODS
  Nineteen consecutive patients underwent IVUS and coronary artery wall MRI. Cross-sectional images were acquired on the lesion of coronary artery from the ostium to the middle segment continuously. The vessel cross-sectional area (CSA), luminal CSA, plaque burden, contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) were measured in each slice which was then compared with the IVUS images.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Sixteen of 19 patients completed coronary artery MRA and wall imaging. 41 of 67 slices were found plaques on both IVUS and MRI; The maximal wall thickness, plaque burden, SNR, CNR in the coronary wall containing plaque were greater compared with the normal coronary wall (1.70 ± 0.51 versus 1.24 ± 0.24; 0.71 ± 0.13 versus 0.59 ± 0.12; 1.86 ± 0.41 versus 1.47 ± 0.23; 5.10 ± 2.21 versus 2.99 ± 1.17; respectively, P < 0.05). The matched MRI and IVUS showed good correlation for vessel CSA (16.77 ± 10.67 versus 16.97 ± 8.36; r = 0.79; P < 0.01), luminal CSA (5.18 ± 5.01 versus 7.13 ± 5.14; r = 0.88; P < 0.01), plaque burden (0.71 ± 0.13 versus 0.59 ± 0.15; r = 0.67; P < 0.01). in segments containing plaques, especially the luminal CSA were strongly correlated.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  MRI coronary artery wall imaging can identify coronary plaque in the proximal segments. It also has the potential to assess coronary artery size.
authors: Department of Radiology, Anzhen Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
authors: Yi
authors: Y
authors: He
authors: Zhaoqi
authors: Z
authors: Zhang
authors: Qinyi
authors: Q
authors: Dai
authors: Yujie
authors: Y
authors: Zhou
authors: Ya
authors: Y
authors: Yang
authors: Wei
authors: W
authors: Yu
authors: Jing
authors: J
authors: An
authors: Lixin
authors: L
authors: Jin
authors: Renate
authors: R
authors: Jerecic
authors: Chun
authors: C
authors: Yuan
authors: Debiao
authors: D
authors: Li
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D017023:Coronary Angiography / Q000379:methods; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D003331:Coronary Vessels / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D018084:Ultrasonography, Interventional / Q000379:methods*