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Magnetic resonance imaging of atherosclerosis

  • Vascular-Interventional
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Abstract

Abundant data now link composition of the vascular wall, rather than the degree of luminal narrowing, with the risk for acute ischemic syndromes in the coronary, central nervous system, and peripheral arterial beds. Over the past few years, magnetic resonance angiography has evolved as a well-established method to determine the location and severity of advanced, lumen-encroaching atherosclerotic lesions. In addition, more recent studies have shown that high spatial resolution, multisequence MRI is also a promising tool for noninvasive, serial imaging of the aortic and carotid vessel wall, which potentially can be applied in the clinical setting. Because of the limited spatial resolution of current MRI techniques, characterization of coronary vessel wall atherosclerosis, however, is not yet possible and remains the holy grail of plaque imaging. Recent technical developments in MRI technology such as dedicated surface coils, the introduction of 3.0-T high-field systems and parallel imaging, as well as developments in the field of molecular imaging such as contrast agents targeted to specific plaque constituents, are likely to lead to the necessary improvements in signal to noise ratio, imaging speed, and specificity. These improvements will ultimately lead to more widespread application of this technology in clinical practice. In the present review, the current status and future role of MRI for plaque detection and characterization are summarized.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank Geertjan van Zonneveld and Dr Sylvia Heeneman of the Audiovisual Department and Department of Pathology, Maastricht University Hospital, for assistance with preparation of Figs. 1 and 3. In addition, the authors would also like to express their gratitude to Drs Lee Mitsumori and Chun Yuan of the Department of Radiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA, for contributing Fig. 2, and to Dr Won Yong Kim of the MR-Center and Department of Cardiology, Aarhus University Hospital, and Skejby Sygehus, Aarhus, Denmark, for contributing Fig. 5. Financial support of The Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO VENI Grant 916.46.034 [Dr. Leiner]) and The Netherlands Heart Foundation (Project number 2000.173) is gratefully acknowledged.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology, Maastricht University Hospital, Peter Debijelaan 25, Maastricht, 6229 HX, The Netherlands

    T. Leiner, S. Gerretsen, R. Botnar, E. Lutgens, V. Cappendijk, E. Kooi & J. van Engelshoven

  2. Tum and Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Nuklearmedizinische Klinik und Poliklinik, Ismaninger Strasse 22, 81675, Muenchen, Germany

    R. Botnar

  3. Department of Medicine, Cardiovascular Division, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center/ Harvard Medical School, 330, Brookline Ave., Boston, MA, 02215, USA

    R. Botnar

  4. Department of Pathology, Maastricht University Hospital, Peter Debijelaan 25, Maastricht, 6229HX, The Netherlands

    E. Lutgens

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  1. T. Leiner
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Leiner, T., Gerretsen, S., Botnar, R. et al. Magnetic resonance imaging of atherosclerosis. Eur Radiol 15, 1087–1099 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-005-2646-8

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