P2.1 CAROTID PLAQUE MICROVASCULATURE ASSESSED USING DYNAMIC CONTRAST-ENHANCED MRI: COMPARING DIFFERENT REGIONS OF THE VASCULAR WALL
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- 10.1016/j.artres.2014.09.097How to use a DOI?
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Background: Pharmacokinetic modeling in Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced (DCE-)MRI has been introduced to non-invasively assess microvasculature in carotid atherosclerotic plaques, a marker for plaque vulnerability. The main model-parameter, Ktrans, can be assessed in the outer region of the vessel (adventitia) or in the entire vessel wall (including plaque and adventitia) and already showed association with histology and features of plaque vulnerability, respectively. We investigated systematically the correlation between Ktrans of these various regions of the vascular wall and their individual correlation with histology as gold standard.
Methods: 45 symptomatic patients with 30–99% carotid stenosis underwent 3T DCE-MRI (0.1mmol/kg Gadobutrol, 0.5ml/sec). Quantitative modeling was performed to determine Ktrans of the entire vessel wall, adventitia, and plaque region, separately. For 10 patients, CD31 immunohistochemistry was performed on specimens (containing mainly plaque) removed during carotid endarterectomy to quantify the endothelial microvessel area.
Results: Adventitial Ktrans showed weak correlation with plaque Ktrans (r=0.64, p<0.001) and was 17.3% higher (p<0.001), coinciding with decreased uncertainty in parameter estimation (p=0.015). Significant positive correlation between the endothelial microvessel area and adventitial Ktrans (r=0.854, p=0.002), but not from the plaque (r=0.438, p=0.2) was observed. Entire vessel wall Ktrans showed intermediate results for the various analyses.
Discussion: Although Ktrans assessed over various regions within the vascular wall are correlated, absolute values differ significantly. Adventitial Ktrans seems to be a better measure for plaque microvasculature compared to other vascular regions, coinciding with a lower uncertainty in parameter estimation. Comparison with histology in a larger number of patients is recommended for definitive conclusions.
Cite this article
TY - JOUR AU - R. Van Hoof AU - E. Hermeling AU - N. Wijnen AU - F. Schreuder AU - M. Truijman AU - S. Voo AU - J. Cleutjens AU - J. Sluimer AU - S. Heeneman AU - R. Oostenbrugge AU - J.-W. Daemen AU - M. Daemen AU - J. Wildberger AU - M. Kooi PY - 2014 DA - 2014/11/04 TI - P2.1 CAROTID PLAQUE MICROVASCULATURE ASSESSED USING DYNAMIC CONTRAST-ENHANCED MRI: COMPARING DIFFERENT REGIONS OF THE VASCULAR WALL JO - Artery Research SP - 133 EP - 133 VL - 8 IS - 4 SN - 1876-4401 UR - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.artres.2014.09.097 DO - 10.1016/j.artres.2014.09.097 ID - VanHoof2014 ER -