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Published in: European Radiology 12/2010

01-12-2010 | Cardiac

T1-weighted MRI for the detection of coronary artery plaque haemorrhage

Authors: May Lin Oei, Murat Ozgun, Harald Seifarth, Alexander Bunck, Roman Fischbach, Stefan Orwat, Walter Heindel, Rene Botnar, David Maintz

Published in: European Radiology | Issue 12/2010

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Abstract

Objective

Hyperintense areas in atherosclerotic plaques on pre-contrast T1-weighted MRI have been shown to correlate with intraplaque haemorrhage. We evaluated the presence of T1 hyperintensity in coronary artery plaques in coronary artery disease (CAD) patients and correlated results with multi-detector computed tomography (MDCT) findings.

Methods

Fifteen patients with CAD were included. Plaques detected by MDCT were categorised based on their Hounsfield number. T1-weighted inversion recovery (IR) MRI prepared coronary MRI for the detection of plaque and steady-state free-precession coronary MR-angiography for anatomical correlation was performed. After registration of MDCT and MRI, regions of interest were defined on MDCT-visible plaques and in corresponding vessel segments acquired with MRI. MDCT density and MR signal measurement were performed in each plaque.

Results

Forty-three plaques were identified with MDCT. With IR-MRI 5/43 (12%) plaques were hyperintense, 2 of which were non-calcified and 3 mixed. Average signal-to-noise and contrast-to-noise ratios of hyperintense plaques were 15.7 and 9.1, compared with 5.6 and 1.2 for hypointense plaques. Hyperintense plaques exhibited a significantly lower CT density than hypointense plaques (63.6 vs. 140.8). There was no correlation of plaque signal intensity with degree of stenosis.

Conclusion

T1-weighted IR-MRI may be useful for non-invasive detection and characterisation of intraplaque haemorrhage in coronary artery plaques.
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Metadata
Title
T1-weighted MRI for the detection of coronary artery plaque haemorrhage
Authors
May Lin Oei
Murat Ozgun
Harald Seifarth
Alexander Bunck
Roman Fischbach
Stefan Orwat
Walter Heindel
Rene Botnar
David Maintz
Publication date
01-12-2010
Publisher
Springer-Verlag
Published in
European Radiology / Issue 12/2010
Print ISSN: 0938-7994
Electronic ISSN: 1432-1084
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-010-1878-4

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