Analysis of Multicontrast Carotid Plaque MR Imaging

Huijun Chen; Qiang Zhang; William Kerwin

doi:10.1016/j.nic.2015.09.002

Analysis of Multicontrast Carotid Plaque MR Imaging

Neuroimaging Clin N Am. 2016 Feb;26(1):13-28. doi: 10.1016/j.nic.2015.09.002.

Authors

Huijun Chen¹, Qiang Zhang², William Kerwin³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Biomedical Engineering, Center for Biomedical Imaging Research, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Room No. 109, Haidian District, Beijing, China.
² Department of Biomedical Engineering, Center for Biomedical Imaging Research, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Room No. 120, Haidian District, Beijing, China.
³ Department of Radiology, School of Medicine, University of Washington, 850 Republican Street, Seattle, WA 98109, USA. Electronic address: bkerwin98136@yahoo.com.

PMID: 26610657
DOI: 10.1016/j.nic.2015.09.002

Abstract

Plaque imaging by MR imaging provides a wealth of information on the characteristics of individual plaque that may reveal vulnerability to rupture, likelihood of progression, or optimal treatment strategy. T1-weighted and T2-weighted images among other options reveal plaque morphology and composition. Dynamic contrast-enhanced-MR imaging reveals plaque activity. To extract this information, image processing tools are needed. Numerous approaches for analyzing such images have been developed, validated against histologic gold standards, and used in clinical studies. These efforts are summarized in this article.

Keywords: Atherosclerosis; Biomechanics; Composition; Contrast enhancement; Image processing; MR imaging; Morphology.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Algorithms
Animals
Carotid Stenosis / diagnosis*
Computer Simulation
Contrast Media*
Humans
Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / methods*
Information Storage and Retrieval / methods*
Magnetic Resonance Angiography / methods*
Models, Cardiovascular*
Reproducibility of Results
Sensitivity and Specificity

Substances

Contrast Media