title: Intracranial atherosclerosis: correlation between in-vivo 3T high resolution MRI and pathology.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  High-resolution MRI (HRMRI) is a promising tool for studying intracranial atherosclerotic disease (ICAD) in-vivo, but its use to understand the pathophysiology of ICAD has been limited by a lack of correlation between MRI signal characteristics and pathology in intracranial arteries.
  
  
  METHODS
  A patient with symptomatic left cavernous carotid stenosis underwent 3T HRMRI and died 4 days later. In-vivo HRMRI and postmortem histopathology images were compared. MRI signal characteristics consistent with atherosclerotic plaque composed of lipid and loose matrix, fibrous tissue, and calcium were correlated with pathology findings. Intraplaque hemorrhage was not present on HRMRI or pathology.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This report demonstrates correlation between atherosclerotic plaque components visualized on 3T HRMRI images obtained in-vivo and pathological specimens of a symptomatic ICAD plaque, providing an important step in developing HRMRI as an in-vivo research tool to understand ICAD pathology.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery at Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA. Electronic address: turan@musc.edu.
authors.forename: Tanya N
authors.initials: TN
authors.lastname: Turan
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences at Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA.
authors.forename: Zoran
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Rumboldt
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosciences at Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA.
authors.forename: Ann-Charlotte
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Granholm
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosciences at Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Columbo
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosciences at Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA; Department of Pathology at Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA.
authors.forename: Cynthia T
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Welsh
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology at Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA.
authors.forename: Maria F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Lopes-Virella
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences at Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA.
authors.forename: M Vittoria
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Spampinato
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences at Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA.
authors.forename: Truman R
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Brown
mesh_terms: D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001921:Brain / Q000098:blood supply / Q000473:pathology; D002118:Calcium / Q000097:blood; D016893:Carotid Stenosis / Q000473:pathology; D002533:Cerebral Angiography; D005260:Female; D006470:Hemorrhage / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D002537:Intracranial Arteriosclerosis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology*; D008264:Macrophages / Q000473:pathology; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D058226:Plaque, Atherosclerotic / Q000473:pathology; D012307:Risk Factors; D020521:Stroke / Q000503:physiopathology
chemical_list: D002118:Calcium
keywords: Atherosclerotic plaque pathology; High-resolution MRI; Intracranial atherosclerosis; Stroke