A Preliminary Study of the Value of High Resolution MRI in Carotid Atherosclerotic Plaque

Objective To evaluate the value of high resolution MRI in detecting carotid atherosclerosis.Methods Philips Achieve 1.5T MR and SENSE Flex Medium Coil were used to perform high resolution carotid arteries MRI in 20 patients.Carotid arteries were scanned with four sequences (including DIR-T1WI,TSE-T2WI,TSE-PDWI and 3D-TOF) to detect carotid atherosclerosis,evaluate the level of stenosis and characterize the morphology of individual plaques.Results 20 patients with many stenosis sites of carotid arteries were demonstrated by MRI, including 6 with moderate stenosis,severe stenosis 2 and complete obliteration 1.20 patients with 9 consecutive plaques and 40 local plaques were demonstrated(62 changes of carotid atherosclerotic plaque according to sites of plaques),including 19 in the common carotid artery,carotid artery bifurcation 19,internal carotid artery 23,and external carotid artery 1.MRI classification included typeⅢ 15,type Ⅳ-Ⅴ 43,type Ⅵ 2 and type Ⅷ2.Conclusion High resolution MRI is a powerful imaging tool in evaluating carotid arterial stenosis and demonstrating the tissue components of atherosclerotic plaques.It is helpful for early diagnosis and treatment planning of angiocardiopathy and cerebrovascular disease.