Skip to main content Accessibility help

We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.

Close cookie message
×
Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-gxg78 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-27T14:51:27.816Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

21 - Gadolinium-enhanced plaque imaging

from Functional plaque imaging

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 December 2009

By
William Kerwin
Edited by
Jonathan Gillard ,
Martin Graves ,
Thomas Hatsukami  and
Chun Yuan
William Kerwin
Affiliation:
University of Washington, Seattle WA, USA
Jonathan Gillard
Affiliation:
University of Cambridge
Martin Graves
Affiliation:
University of Cambridge
Thomas Hatsukami
Affiliation:
University of Washington
Chun Yuan
Affiliation:
University of Washington
Get access

Summary

Introduction

The use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for evaluation of atherosclerotic plaque has mostly focused on morphological aspects of the disease. The ability of MRI to provide high resolution depictions of the vessel lumen, outer wall boundary and plaque substructures is well established (Yuan and Kerwin, 2004). Such information, however, tells only part of the story of the plaque. Microscopic processes, such as infiltration of macrophages, can have profound effects on disease progression. Fortunately, MRI offers the ability to assess such processes through the use of injected contrast agents.

The development of contrast agents for MRI is a rapidly expanding area, with most agents utilizing gadolinium and its ability to shorten MR relaxation times T1 and T2. In T1-weighted images, regions with accumulation of the agent are characteristically brighter and in T2-weighted images, high concentration regions appear darker. Chelates of gadolinium including Gd-DTPA are currently available for clinical use and were initially approved for applications in detecting lesions of the central nervous system. Experimental uses under investigation include magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) and MRI of atherosclerosis. Techniques exist in these areas for first pass imaging in which the agent is restricted to the blood stream, late phase enhancement in which the agent has diffused into the extracellular space of the tissue, and dynamic imaging in which the transfer from the blood stream to the tissue is observed over time.

This chapter reviews the state of the art in contrast-enhanced MRI of atherosclerosis.

Keywords

atherosclerosiscontrast-enhanced T1-weighted imagesGd-DTPAGd-DTPA-BMAplaque imagingMRI
Type
Chapter
Information
Carotid Disease
The Role of Imaging in Diagnosis and Management
 , pp. 288 - 301
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2006

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Aoki, S., Aoki, K., Ohsawa, S., et al. (1999). Dynamic Magnetic resonance imaging of the carotid wall. Journal of Magnetic Resonance Imaging, 9, 420–7.3.0.CO;2-D>CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Audoly, S., Bellu, G., D'Angio, L., Saccomani, M. P. and Cobelli, C. (2001). Global identifiability of nonlinear models of biological systems. IEEE Transactions in Biomedical Engineering, 48, 55–65.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Barkhausen, J., Ebert, W., Heyer, C., Debatin, J. F. and Weinmann, H. J. (2003). Detection of atherosclerotic plaque with gadofluorine-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging. Circulation, 108, 605–9.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cai, J., Hatsukami, T. S., Ferguson, M. S., et al. (2005). In vivo quantitative measurement of intact fibrous cap and lipid rich necrotic core size in atherosclerotic carotid plaque: a comparison of high resolution contrast enhanced Magnetic resonance imaging and histology. Circulation, 112, 3437–44.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Chambon, C., Clement, O., Blanche, A., Schouman-Claeys, E. and Frija, G. (1993). Superparamagnetic iron oxides as positive Magnetic resonance contrast agents: in vitro and in vivo evidence. Magnetic Resonance Imaging, 11, 509–19.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Chen, Y. X., Nakashima, Y., Tanaka, K., et al. (1999). Immunohistochemical expression of vascular endothelial growth factor/vascular permeability factor in atherosclerotic intimas of human coronary arteries. Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology, 19, 131–9.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Corot, C., Violas, X., Robert, P., Gagneur, G. and Port, M. (2003). Comparison of different types of blood pool agents (P792, MS325, UltrasoundPIO) in a rabbit Magnetic resonance angiography-like protocol. Investigative Radiology, 38, 311–19.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
deBoer, O. J., Wal, A. C., Teeling, P. and Becker, A. E. (1999). Leucocyte recruitment in rupture prone regions of lipid-rich plaques: a prominent role for neovascularization?Cardiovascular Research, 41, 443–9.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Flacke, S., Fischer, S., Scott, M. J., et al. (2001). Novel Magnetic resonance imaging contrast agent for molecular imaging of fibrin: implications for detecting vulnerable plaques. Circulation, 104, 1280–5.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Grist, T. M., Korosec, F. R., Peters, D. C., et al. (1998). Steady-state and dynamic Magnetic resonance angiography with MS-325: initial experience in humans. Radiology, 207, 539–44.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kerwin, W. S., Cai, J. and Yuan, C. (2002). Noise and motion correction in dynamic contrast-enhanced Magnetic resonance imaging for analysis of atherosclerotic lesions. Magnetic Resonance in Medicine, 47, 1211–17.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kerwin, W., Hooker, A., Spilker, M., et al. (2003). Quantitative magnetic resonance imaging analysis of neovasculature volume in carotid atherosclerotic plaque. Circulation, 107, 851–6.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kerwin, W., O'Brien, K., Ferguson, M., Hatsukami, T. and Yuan, C. (2006). Inflammation in carotid atherosclerotic plaque is associated with elevated neovasculature and permeability: a dynamic contrast-enhanced Magnetic resonance imaging study. Radiology, in press.Google Scholar
Kooi, M. E., Cappendijk, V. C., Cleutjens, K. B., et al. (2003). Accumulation of ultrasmall superparamagnetic particles of iron oxide in human atherosclerotic plaques can be detected by in vivo magnetic resonance imaging. Circulation, 107, 2453–8.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Krause, M. H., Kwong, K. K. and Xiong, J. (2003). Magnetic resonance imaging of blood volume with MS 325 in experimental choroidal melanoma. Magnetic Resonance Imaging, 21, 725–32.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lauffer, R. B. (1996). Magnetic resonance imaging contrast agents: basic principles. In Clinical Magnetic Resonance Imaging, ed. Edelman, R., Hesselink, J. and Zlatkin, M., Philadelphia, PA: W. B. Saunders Co., pp. 177–91.Google Scholar
Lauffer, R. B., Parmelee, D. J., Dunham, S. U., et al. (1998). MS-325: albumin-targeted contrast agent for Magnetic resonance angiography. Radiology, 207, 529–38.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Libby, P. (2002). Inflammation in atherosclerosis. Nature, 420, 868–74.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lin, W., Abendschein, D. R. and Haacke, E. M. (1997). Contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography of carotid arterial wall in pigs. Journal of Magnetic Resonance Imaging, 7, 183–90.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
McCarthy, M. J., Loftus, I. M., Thompson, M. M., et al. (1999). Angiogenesis and the atherosclerotic carotid plaque: an association between symptomatology and plaque morphology. Journal of Vascular Surgery, 30, 261–8.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Moulton, K. S., Vakili, K. and Zurakowski, D. (2003). Inhibition of plaque neovascularization reduces macrophage accumulation and progression of advanced atherosclerosis. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 100, 4736–41.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
O'Brien, K. D., McDonald, T. O., Chait, A., Allen, M. D. and Alpers, C. E. (1996). Neovascular expression of E-selectin, intercellular adhesion molecule-1, and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 in human atherosclerosis and their relation to intimal leukocyte content. Circulation, 93, 672–82.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Patlak, C. S. (1983). Graphical evaluation of blood-to-brain transfer constants from multiple-time uptake data. Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism, 3, 1–7.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pradel, C., Siauve, N., Bruneteau, G., et al. (2003). Reduced capillary perfusion and permeability in human tumour xenografts treated with the vegf signalling inhibitor zd4190: an in vivo assessment using dynamic Magnetic resonance imaging and macromolecular contrast media. Magnetic Resonance Imaging, 21, 845–51.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ruehm, S. G., Corot, C., Vogt, P., Kolb, S. and Debatin, J. F. (2001). Magnetic resonance imaging of atherosclerotic plaque with ultrasmall superparamagnetic particles of iron oxide in hyperlipidemic rabbits. Circulation, 103, 415–22.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Schmitz, S. A., Taupitz, T., Wagner, S., et al. (2001). Magnetic resonance imaging of atherosclerotic plaques using superparamagnetic iron oxide particles. Journal of Magnetic Resonance Imaging, 14, 355–61.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Stary, H. C., Chandler, A. B., Dinsmore, R. E., et al. (1995). A definition of advanced types of atherosclerotic lesions and a histological classification of atherosclerosis. A report from the committee on vascular lesions of the council on arteriosclerosis, American Heart Association. Circulation, 92, 1355–74.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tofts, P. S. and Kermode, A. G. (1991). Measurement of the blood-brain barrier permeability and leakage space using dynamic Magnetic resonance imaging. 1. Fundamental concepts. Magnetic Resonance in Medicine, 17, 357–67.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Tofts, P. S. (1997). Modeling tracer kinetics in dynamic Gd-DTPA Magnetic resonance imaging. Journal of Magnetic Resonance Imaging, 7, 91–101.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tofts, P. S., Brix, G., Buckley, D. L., et al. (1999). Estimating kinetic parameters from dynamic contrast-enhanced T1-weighted Magnetic resonance imaging of a diffusable tracer: standardized quantities and symbols. Journal of Magnetic Resonance Imaging, 10, 223–32.3.0.CO;2-S>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Turetschek, K., Floyd, E., Helbich, , T., et al. (2001). Magnetic resonance imaging assessment of microvascular characteristics in experimental breast tumors using a new blood pool contrast agent (MS-325) with correlations to histopathology. Journal of Magnetic Resonance Imaging, 14, 237–42.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Virmani, R., Kolodgie, F. D., Burke, A. P., Farb, A. and Schwartz, S. M. (2000). Lessons from sudden coronary death: a comprehensive morphological classification scheme for atherosclerotic lesions. Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology, 20, 1262–75.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wasserman, B. A., Smith, W. I., Trout, H. H., et al. (2002). Carotid artery atherosclerosis: in vivo morphologic characterization with gadolinium-enhanced double-oblique Magnetic resonance imaging initial results. Radiology, 223, 566–73.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Weinmann, H. J., Ebert, , W., Misselwitz, B. and Schmitt-Willich, H. (2003). Tissue-specific Magnetic resonance contrast agents. European Journal of Radiology, 46, 33–44.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Weiss, C. R., Arai, A. E., Bui, M. N., et al. (2001). Arterial wall Magnetic resonance imaging characteristics are associated with elevated serum markers of inflammation in humans. Journal of Magnetic Resonance Imaging, 14, 698–704.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Winter, P. M., Caruthers, S. D., Yu, X., et al. (2003a). Improved molecular imaging contrast agent for detection of human thrombus. Magnetic Resonance in Medicine, 50, 411–16.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Winter, P. M., Morawski, A. M., Caruthers, S. D., et al. (2003b). Molecular imaging of angiogenesis in early-stage atherosclerosis with alpha(v)beta3-integrin-targeted nanoparticles. Circulation, 108, 2270–4.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Yarnykh, V. L. and Yuan, C. (2002). T1-insensitive flow suppression using quadruple inversion-recovery. Magnetic Resonance in Medicine, 48, 899–905.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Yuan, C., Kerwin, W. S., Ferguson, M. S., et al. (2002). Contrast enhanced high resolution Magnetic resonance imaging for atherosclerotic carotid artery tissue characterization. Journal of Magnetic Resonance Imaging, 15, 62–7.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Yuan, C. and Kerwin, W. S. (2004). Magnetic resonance imaging of atherosclerosis. Journal of Magnetic Resonance Imaging, 19, 710–19.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure no-reply@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×