Premium
Contrast‐enhanced MRI of carotid atherosclerosis: Dependence on contrast agent
Author(s) -
Kerwin William S.,
Zhao Xihai,
Yuan Chun,
Hatsukami Thomas S.,
Maravilla Kenneth R.,
Underhill Hunter R.,
Zhao Xueqiao
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
journal of magnetic resonance imaging
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.563
H-Index - 160
eISSN - 1522-2586
pISSN - 1053-1807
DOI - 10.1002/jmri.21826
Subject(s) - medicine , magnetic resonance imaging , gadodiamide , lumen (anatomy) , contrast (vision) , nuclear medicine , carotid arteries , contrast to noise ratio , fibrous cap , contrast enhancement , radiology , pathology , image quality , artificial intelligence , computer science , image (mathematics)
Abstract Purpose To investigate the dependence of contrast‐enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of carotid artery atherosclerotic plaque on the use of gadobenate dimeglumine versus gadodiamide. Materials and Methods Fifteen subjects with carotid atherosclerotic plaque were imaged with 0.1 mmol/kg of each agent. For arteries with interpretable images, the areas of the lumen, wall, and necrotic core and overlying fibrous cap (when present) were measured, as were the percent enhancement and contrast‐to‐noise ratio (CNR). A kinetic model was applied to dynamic imaging results to determine the fractional plasma volume, v p , and contrast agent transfer constant, K trans . Results For 12 subjects with interpretable images, the agent used did not significantly impact any area measurements or the presence or absence of necrotic core ( P > 0.1 for all). However, the percent enhancement was greater for the fibrous cap (72% vs. 54%; P < 0.05) necrotic core (51% vs. 42%; P = 0.12), and lumen (42% vs. 63%; P < 0.05) when using gadobenate dimeglumine, although no apparent difference in CNR was found. Additionally, K trans was lower when using gadobenate dimeglumine (0.0846 min −1 vs. 0.101 min −1 ; P < 0.01), although v p showed no difference (9.5% vs. 10.1%; P = 0.39). Conclusion Plaque morphology measurements are similar with either contrast agent, but quantitative enhancement characteristics, such as percent enhancement and K trans , differ. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2009;30:35–40. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.