title: Extravascular optical coherence tomography: evaluation of carotid atherosclerosis and pravastatin therapy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Extravascular optical coherence tomography (OCT), as a noninvasive imaging methodology with micrometer resolution, was evaluated in a murine model of carotid atherosclerosis by way of assessing the efficacy of pravastatin therapy.
  
  
  METHODS
  An OCT device was engineered for extravascular plaque imaging. Wild-type mice and apolipoprotein E-deficient (ApoE(-/-)) mice were randomized to 3 treatment groups: (1) wild-type on a diet of standard rodent chow (n=13); (2) ApoE(-/-) on a high-fat, atherosclerotic diet (HFD; n=13); and (3) ApoE(-/-) on a HFD given daily pravastatin (n=13). Mice were anesthetized and the left common carotid was surgically exposed. Three-dimensional (3D; 2 spatial dimensions+time) and 4D (3 spatial dimensions+time) OCT images of the vessel lumen patency were evaluated. After perfusion, in situ OCT imaging was performed for statistical comparison with the in vivo results and final histology.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Intraoperative OCT imaging positively identified carotid plaque in 100% of ApoE(-/-) mice on HFD. ApoE(-/-) mice on HFD had a significantly decreased lumen patency when compared with that in wild-type mice (P<0.001). Pravastatin therapy was found to increase lumen patency significantly in ApoE(-/-) mice on HFD (P<0.01; compared with ApoE(-/-) on HFD). The findings were confirmed with OCT imaging after perfusion and histology.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  OCT imaging offers the potential for real-time, detailed vessel lumen evaluation, potentially improving surgical accuracy and outcomes during cerebrovascular neurosurgical procedures. Pravastatin significantly increases vessel lumen patency in the ApoE(-/-) mouse on HFD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland.
authors.forename: Robert T
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: Wicks
authors.affiliation: Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland.
authors.forename: Yong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland.
authors.forename: Kang
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland.
authors.forename: Mingtao
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland.
authors.forename: Betty M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Tyler
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland.
authors.forename: Ian
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Suk
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland.
authors.forename: Lee
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hwang
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland.
authors.forename: Jacob
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ruzevick
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland.
authors.forename: George
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Jallo
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland.|Departments of Oncology, Ophthalmology, and Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland.
authors.forename: Henry
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Brem
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland.
authors.forename: Gustavo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pradilla
authors.affiliation: Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland.
authors.forename: Jin U
authors.initials: JU
authors.lastname: Kang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001057:Apolipoproteins E / Q000235:genetics; D002340:Carotid Artery Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology*; D016893:Carotid Stenosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D016903:Drug Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional / Q000379:methods; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D017035:Pravastatin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011897:Random Allocation; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D001057:Apolipoproteins E; D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors; D017035:Pravastatin
keywords: atherosclerosis; imaging, medical; intracranial aneurysm; tomography, optical coherence