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Zhao Y, Gu Y, Liu Y, Guo Z. Evaluation of the Correlation Between Distribution Location and Vulnerability of Carotid Plaque in Patients with Transient Ischemic Attack. Vasc Health Risk Manag 2024; 20:77-87. [PMID: 38464675 PMCID: PMC10922953 DOI: 10.2147/vhrm.s447418] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2023] [Accepted: 02/25/2024] [Indexed: 03/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Purpose To analyze the relationship among distribution location, characteristics, and vulnerability of carotid plaque using CTA and provide more information on the risk factors of carotid atherosclerotic plaque. Patients and Methods We retrospectively analyzed the CTA images of the head and neck of 93 patients with carotid atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis was developed in 148 carotid arteries. The plaques were divided into a high-risk plaque group and a low-risk plaque group according to whether the plaques had high-risk characteristics. The maximum cross-sectional area of carotid artery bifurcation plaque on the axial image was selected, and the cross-sectional lumen was equally divided into four 90-degree sectors, ventral side wall, dorsal side wall, inner side wall, and outer side wall. The differences in the characteristics and distribution locations of the plaques in the two groups were analyzed. The characteristic parameters of the cross-sectional plaques at the bifurcation of the carotid artery. The logistic regression analysis was used to further analyze the risk factors associated with plaque vulnerability. Results Among 148 carotid arteries,80 were classified as high-risk and 68 as low-risk groups. There were significant differences between the two groups concerning the thickness, length, maximum cross-sectional area, burden, and cross-sectional distribution of the plaques (P < 0.05). The plaque distribution on the dorsal side wall of the carotid bifurcation was higher in the high-risk group than that in the low-risk group (P < 0.05), dorsal side wall plaque-independent risk factors for the development of vulnerability of plaques in transient ischemic attack (TIA) patients (95% CI:1.522~6.991, P<0.05). Conclusion High-risk plaques tend to occur on the dorsal side wall of the carotid bifurcation, whereas low-risk plaques tend to occur on the outer side wall of the carotid bifurcation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yinan Zhao
- Department of Radiology, The Affiliated Jinzhou Medical University, Jinzhou, People’s Republic of China
| | - Yan Gu
- Department of Radiology, The Affiliated First People’s Hospital of Lianyungang, Lianyungang, People’s Republic of China
| | - Ying Liu
- Department of Radiology, The Affiliated Lianyungang Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Lianyungang, People’s Republic of China
| | - Zhongping Guo
- Department of Radiology, The Affiliated Lianyungang Clinical College of Nanjing Medical University, Lianyungang, People’s Republic of China
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2
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Fernández-Alvarez V, Linares-Sánchez M, Suárez C, López F, Guntinas-Lichius O, Mäkitie AA, Bradley PJ, Ferlito A. Novel Imaging-Based Biomarkers for Identifying Carotid Plaque Vulnerability. Biomolecules 2023; 13:1236. [PMID: 37627301 PMCID: PMC10452902 DOI: 10.3390/biom13081236] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2023] [Revised: 07/30/2023] [Accepted: 08/07/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Carotid artery disease has traditionally been assessed based on the degree of luminal narrowing. However, this approach, which solely relies on carotid stenosis, is currently being questioned with regard to modern risk stratification approaches. Recent guidelines have introduced the concept of the "vulnerable plaque," emphasizing specific features such as thin fibrous caps, large lipid cores, intraplaque hemorrhage, plaque rupture, macrophage infiltration, and neovascularization. In this context, imaging-based biomarkers have emerged as valuable tools for identifying higher-risk patients. Non-invasive imaging modalities and intravascular techniques, including ultrasound, computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, intravascular ultrasound, optical coherence tomography, and near-infrared spectroscopy, have played pivotal roles in characterizing and detecting unstable carotid plaques. The aim of this review is to provide an overview of the evolving understanding of carotid artery disease and highlight the significance of imaging techniques in assessing plaque vulnerability and informing clinical decision-making.
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Affiliation(s)
- Verónica Fernández-Alvarez
- Department of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery, Hospital Universitario de Cabueñes, 33394 Gijón, Spain;
| | - Miriam Linares-Sánchez
- Department of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery, Hospital Universitario de Cabueñes, 33394 Gijón, Spain;
| | - Carlos Suárez
- Instituto de Investigacion Sanitaria del Principado de Asturias, 33011 Oviedo, Spain; (C.S.); (F.L.)
| | - Fernando López
- Instituto de Investigacion Sanitaria del Principado de Asturias, 33011 Oviedo, Spain; (C.S.); (F.L.)
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Hospital Universitario Central de Asturias, Instituto Universitario de Oncologia del Principado de Asturias, University of Oviedo, CIBERONC, 33011 Oviedo, Spain
| | | | - Antti A. Mäkitie
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Helsinki University Hospital, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 263, 00029 Helsinki, Finland;
- Research Program in Systems Oncology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
- Division of Ear, Nose and Throat Diseases, Department of Clinical Sciences, Intervention and Technology, Karolinska Institute and Karolinska University Hospital, 17176 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Patrick J. Bradley
- Department of ORLHNS, Queens Medical Centre Campus, Nottingham University Hospitals, Derby Road, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK;
| | - Alfio Ferlito
- Coordinator of the International Head and Neck Scientific Group, 35100 Padua, Italy;
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3
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Douhi A, Al-Enezi MS, Berrahmoune N, Khalil A, Fulop T, Nguyen M, Turcotte E, Croteau É, Bentourkia M. Non-calcified active atherosclerosis plaque detection with 18F-NaF and 18F-FDG PET/CT dynamic imaging. Phys Eng Sci Med 2023; 46:295-302. [PMID: 36715851 DOI: 10.1007/s13246-023-01218-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2022] [Accepted: 01/04/2023] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Arterial inflammation is an indicator of atheromatous plaque vulnerability to detach and to obstruct blood vessels in the heart or in the brain thus causing heart attack or stroke. To date, it is difficult to predict the plaque vulnerability. This study was aimed to assess the behavior of 18F-sodium fluoride (18F-NaF) and 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) uptake in the aorta and iliac arteries as a function of plaque density on CT images. We report metabolically active artery plaques associated to inflammation in the absence of calcification. 18 elderly volunteers were recruited and imaged with computed tomography (CT) and positron emission tomography (PET) with 18F-NaF and 18F-FDG. A total of 1338 arterial segments were analyzed, 766 were non-calcified and 572 had calcifications. For both 18F-NaF and 18F-FDG, the mean SUV values were found statistically significantly different between non-calcified and calcified artery segments. Clustering CT non-calcified segments, excluding blood, resulted in two clusters C1 and C2 with a mean density of 30.63 ± 5.06 HU in C1 and 43.06 ± 4.71 HU in C2 (P < 0.05), and their respective SUV were found statistically different in 18F-NaF and 18F-FDG. The 18F-NaF images showed plaques not detected on CT images, where the 18F-FDG SUV values were high in comparison to artery walls without plaques. The density on CT images alone corresponding to these plaques could be further investigated to see whether it can be an indicator of the active plaques.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abdelillah Douhi
- Department of Nuclear Medicine and Radiobiology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Sherbrooke, 3001, 12th Avenue North, Sherbrooke, QC, J1H 5N4, Canada
| | - Mamdouh S Al-Enezi
- Department of Nuclear Medicine and Radiobiology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Sherbrooke, 3001, 12th Avenue North, Sherbrooke, QC, J1H 5N4, Canada
- Department of Diagnostic Radiology, College of Applied Medical Sciences, University of Hail, Hail, Saudi Arabia
| | - Nousra Berrahmoune
- Department of Nuclear Medicine and Radiobiology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Sherbrooke, 3001, 12th Avenue North, Sherbrooke, QC, J1H 5N4, Canada
| | - Abdelouahed Khalil
- Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Sherbrooke, 3001, 12th Avenue North, Sherbrooke, QC, J1H 5N4, Canada
| | - Tamas Fulop
- Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Sherbrooke, 3001, 12th Avenue North, Sherbrooke, QC, J1H 5N4, Canada
| | - Michel Nguyen
- Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Sherbrooke, 3001, 12th Avenue North, Sherbrooke, QC, J1H 5N4, Canada
| | - Eric Turcotte
- Department of Nuclear Medicine and Radiobiology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Sherbrooke, 3001, 12th Avenue North, Sherbrooke, QC, J1H 5N4, Canada
| | - Étienne Croteau
- Department of Nuclear Medicine and Radiobiology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Sherbrooke, 3001, 12th Avenue North, Sherbrooke, QC, J1H 5N4, Canada
| | - M'hamed Bentourkia
- Department of Nuclear Medicine and Radiobiology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Sherbrooke, 3001, 12th Avenue North, Sherbrooke, QC, J1H 5N4, Canada.
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Khanna NN, Maindarkar M, Puvvula A, Paul S, Bhagawati M, Ahluwalia P, Ruzsa Z, Sharma A, Munjral S, Kolluri R, Krishnan PR, Singh IM, Laird JR, Fatemi M, Alizad A, Dhanjil SK, Saba L, Balestrieri A, Faa G, Paraskevas KI, Misra DP, Agarwal V, Sharma A, Teji J, Al-Maini M, Nicolaides A, Rathore V, Naidu S, Liblik K, Johri AM, Turk M, Sobel DW, Pareek G, Miner M, Viskovic K, Tsoulfas G, Protogerou AD, Mavrogeni S, Kitas GD, Fouda MM, Kalra MK, Suri JS. Vascular Implications of COVID-19: Role of Radiological Imaging, Artificial Intelligence, and Tissue Characterization: A Special Report. J Cardiovasc Dev Dis 2022; 9:jcdd9080268. [PMID: 36005433 PMCID: PMC9409845 DOI: 10.3390/jcdd9080268] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2022] [Revised: 07/30/2022] [Accepted: 08/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The SARS-CoV-2 virus has caused a pandemic, infecting nearly 80 million people worldwide, with mortality exceeding six million. The average survival span is just 14 days from the time the symptoms become aggressive. The present study delineates the deep-driven vascular damage in the pulmonary, renal, coronary, and carotid vessels due to SARS-CoV-2. This special report addresses an important gap in the literature in understanding (i) the pathophysiology of vascular damage and the role of medical imaging in the visualization of the damage caused by SARS-CoV-2, and (ii) further understanding the severity of COVID-19 using artificial intelligence (AI)-based tissue characterization (TC). PRISMA was used to select 296 studies for AI-based TC. Radiological imaging techniques such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT), and ultrasound were selected for imaging of the vasculature infected by COVID-19. Four kinds of hypotheses are presented for showing the vascular damage in radiological images due to COVID-19. Three kinds of AI models, namely, machine learning, deep learning, and transfer learning, are used for TC. Further, the study presents recommendations for improving AI-based architectures for vascular studies. We conclude that the process of vascular damage due to COVID-19 has similarities across vessel types, even though it results in multi-organ dysfunction. Although the mortality rate is ~2% of those infected, the long-term effect of COVID-19 needs monitoring to avoid deaths. AI seems to be penetrating the health care industry at warp speed, and we expect to see an emerging role in patient care, reduce the mortality and morbidity rate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Narendra N. Khanna
- Department of Cardiology, Indraprastha APOLLO Hospitals, New Delhi 110001, India
| | - Mahesh Maindarkar
- Stroke Monitoring and Diagnostic Division, AtheroPoint™, Roseville, CA 95661, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, North Eastern Hill University, Shillong 793022, India
| | - Anudeep Puvvula
- Stroke Monitoring and Diagnostic Division, AtheroPoint™, Roseville, CA 95661, USA
- Annu’s Hospitals for Skin and Diabetes, Nellore 524101, India
| | - Sudip Paul
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, North Eastern Hill University, Shillong 793022, India
| | - Mrinalini Bhagawati
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, North Eastern Hill University, Shillong 793022, India
| | - Puneet Ahluwalia
- Max Institute of Cancer Care, Max Super Specialty Hospital, New Delhi 110017, India
| | - Zoltan Ruzsa
- Invasive Cardiology Division, Faculty of Medicine, University of Szeged, 6720 Szeged, Hungary
| | - Aditya Sharma
- Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22904, USA
| | - Smiksha Munjral
- Stroke Monitoring and Diagnostic Division, AtheroPoint™, Roseville, CA 95661, USA
| | - Raghu Kolluri
- Ohio Health Heart and Vascular, Columbus, OH 43214, USA
| | | | - Inder M. Singh
- Stroke Monitoring and Diagnostic Division, AtheroPoint™, Roseville, CA 95661, USA
| | - John R. Laird
- Heart and Vascular Institute, Adventist Health St. Helena, St Helena, CA 94574, USA
| | - Mostafa Fatemi
- Department of Physiology & Biomedical Engineering, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
| | - Azra Alizad
- Department of Radiology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
| | - Surinder K. Dhanjil
- Stroke Monitoring and Diagnostic Division, AtheroPoint™, Roseville, CA 95661, USA
| | - Luca Saba
- Department of Radiology, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria, 40138 Cagliari, Italy
| | - Antonella Balestrieri
- Cardiovascular Prevention and Research Unit, Department of Pathophysiology, National & Kapodistrian University of Athens, 15772 Athens, Greece
| | - Gavino Faa
- Department of Pathology, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria, 09124 Cagliari, Italy
| | | | - Durga Prasanna Misra
- Department of Immunology, Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow 226014, India
| | - Vikas Agarwal
- Department of Immunology, Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow 226014, India
| | - Aman Sharma
- Department of Immunology, Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow 226014, India
| | - Jagjit Teji
- Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60611, USA
| | - Mustafa Al-Maini
- Allergy, Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology Institute, Toronto, ON L4Z 4C4, Canada
| | - Andrew Nicolaides
- Vascular Screening and Diagnostic Centre and University of Nicosia Medical School, 2408 Nicosia, Cyprus
| | - Vijay Rathore
- Nephrology Department, Kaiser Permanente, Sacramento, CA 95119, USA
| | - Subbaram Naidu
- Electrical Engineering Department, University of Minnesota, Duluth, MN 55812, USA
| | - Kiera Liblik
- Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada
| | - Amer M. Johri
- Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada
| | - Monika Turk
- The Hanse-Wissenschaftskolleg Institute for Advanced Study, 27753 Delmenhorst, Germany
| | - David W. Sobel
- Rheumatology Unit, National Kapodistrian University of Athens, 15772 Athens, Greece
| | - Gyan Pareek
- Minimally Invasive Urology Institute, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA
| | - Martin Miner
- Men’s Health Centre, Miriam Hospital Providence, Providence, RI 02906, USA
| | - Klaudija Viskovic
- Department of Radiology and Ultrasound, University Hospital for Infectious Diseases, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | - George Tsoulfas
- Department of Surgery, Aristoteleion University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Athanasios D. Protogerou
- Cardiovascular Prevention and Research Unit, Department of Pathophysiology, National & Kapodistrian University of Athens, 15772 Athens, Greece
| | - Sophie Mavrogeni
- Cardiology Clinic, Onassis Cardiac Surgery Centre, 17674 Athens, Greece
| | - George D. Kitas
- Academic Affairs, Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust, Dudley DY1 2HQ, UK
- Arthritis Research UK Epidemiology Unit, Manchester University, Manchester M13 9PL, UK
| | - Mostafa M. Fouda
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Idaho State University, Pocatello, ID 83209, USA
| | - Manudeep K. Kalra
- Department of Radiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Jasjit S. Suri
- Stroke Monitoring and Diagnostic Division, AtheroPoint™, Roseville, CA 95661, USA
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +1-916-749-5628
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Hoshino T, Ishizuka K, Toi S, Mizuno T, Nishimura A, Wako S, Takahashi S, Kitagawa K. Prognostic Role of Hypertriglyceridemia in Patients With Stroke of Atherothrombotic Origin. Neurology 2022; 98:e1660-e1669. [PMID: 35296551 DOI: 10.1212/wnl.0000000000200112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2021] [Accepted: 01/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Hypertriglyceridemia is perceived to promote atherosclerotic pathology, but its role in stroke has not been well defined. We aimed to assess the contribution of hypertriglyceridemia to residual vascular risk in patients with atherothrombotic stroke. METHODS The Tokyo Women's Medical University Stroke Registry is an ongoing prospective, observational registry, in which 870 patients with acute ischemic stroke or TIA within 1 week of onset were consecutively enrolled and followed up for 1 year. Hypertriglyceridemia was defined as serum triglycerides levels of ≥150 mg/dL under fasting conditions. Significant stenosis of the cervicocephalic arteries was defined as having 50% or greater stenosis or occlusion. The primary outcome was major adverse cardiovascular events, including nonfatal stroke, nonfatal acute coronary syndrome, and vascular death. RESULTS Of 870 patients (mean age, 70.1 years; male, 60.9%), 217 (24.9%) had hypertriglyceridemia. High triglycerides levels were significantly associated with an increased prevalence of intracranial artery stenosis, particularly in the anterior circulation, rather than extracranial artery stenosis. Patients with hypertriglyceridemia had a greater risk of major adverse cardiovascular events than those without (annual rate, 20.9% vs. 9.7%; P<0.001), even after adjustment for potential confounders, including baseline low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and statin use (adjusted hazard ratio, 2.46; 95% confidence interval, 1.62-3.74). The higher risk of vascular events in hypertriglyceridemia versus non-hypertriglyceridemia patients was observed among patients with stroke of atherothrombotic origin (n=174; annual rate, 35.1% vs. 14.2%; P=0.001), those with significant intracranial artery stenosis (n=247; annual rate, 29.9% vs. 14.7%; P=0.006), and those with significant extracranial carotid artery stenosis (n=123; annual rate, 23.0% vs. 9.4%; P=0.042). In contrast, hypertriglyceridemia was not predictive of recurrent vascular events in patients with cardioembolic stroke (n=221; annual rate, 19.1% vs. 10.5%; P=0.18). DISCUSSION Hypertriglyceridemia is an important modifiable risk factor that drives residual vascular risk in patients with stroke of atherothrombotic origin, even while on statin therapy. TRIAL REGISTRATION INFORMATION The Tokyo Women's Medical University Stroke Registry is registered at UMIN000031913 (https://upload.umin.ac.jp). CLASSIFICATION OF EVIDENCE This study provides Class I evidence that in patients with atherothrombotic stroke, hypertriglyceridemia is associated with an increased risk of major cardiovascular events.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takao Hoshino
- Department of Neurology, Tokyo Women's Medical University Hospital, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kentaro Ishizuka
- Department of Neurology, Tokyo Women's Medical University Hospital, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Sono Toi
- Department of Neurology, Tokyo Women's Medical University Hospital, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Takafumi Mizuno
- Department of Neurology, Tokyo Women's Medical University Hospital, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Ayako Nishimura
- Department of Neurology, Tokyo Women's Medical University Hospital, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Sho Wako
- Department of Neurology, Tokyo Women's Medical University Hospital, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Shuntaro Takahashi
- Department of Neurology, Tokyo Women's Medical University Hospital, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kazuo Kitagawa
- Department of Neurology, Tokyo Women's Medical University Hospital, Tokyo, Japan
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Gimnich OA, Zil-E-Ali A, Brunner G. Imaging Approaches to the Diagnosis of Vascular Diseases. Curr Atheroscler Rep 2022; 24:85-96. [PMID: 35080717 DOI: 10.1007/s11883-022-00988-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW Vascular imaging is a complex field including numerous modalities and imaging markers. This review is focused on important and recent findings in atherosclerotic carotid artery plaque imaging with an emphasis on developments in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT). RECENT FINDINGS Recent evidence shows that carotid plaque characteristics and not only established measures of carotid plaque burden and stenosis are associated independently with cardiovascular outcomes. On carotid MRI, the presence of a lipid-rich necrotic core (LRNC) has been associated with incident cardiovascular disease (CVD) events independent of wall thickness, a traditional measure of plaque burden. On carotid MRI, intraplaque hemorrhage (IPH) presence has been identified as an independent predictor of stroke. The presence of a fissured carotid fibrous cap has been associated with contrast enhancement on CT angiography imaging. Carotid artery plaque characteristics have been associated with incident CVD events, and advanced plaque imaging techniques may gain additional prominence in the clinical treatment decision process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olga A Gimnich
- Penn State Heart and Vascular Institute, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, USA
| | - Ahsan Zil-E-Ali
- Penn State Heart and Vascular Institute, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, USA
| | - Gerd Brunner
- Penn State Heart and Vascular Institute, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, USA.
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Tekle WG, Hassan AE. Intracranial Atherosclerotic Disease: Current Concepts in Medical and Surgical Management. Neurology 2021; 97:S145-S157. [PMID: 34785613 DOI: 10.1212/wnl.0000000000012805] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2020] [Accepted: 03/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE OF THE REVIEW This article reviews the current concepts in intracranial atherosclerotic disease (ICAD) as a common etiology of ischemic stroke; pathophysiologic mechanisms of ischemic stroke; diagnostic evaluation; and therapeutic modalities, including maximal medical therapy (MMT), percutaneous transluminal angioplasty and stenting (PTAS), and bypass surgery. RECENT FINDINGS Data from recent studies demonstrate that proper patient selection and timing of procedure and standardized PTAS techniques by experienced operators resulted in acceptably low periprocedural adverse events for patients who failed MMT. SUMMARY ICAD is a common cause of ischemic stroke. Complex pathology and high rates of recurrent and disabling ischemic strokes despite currently available treatments make ICAD the most challenging to treat of all ischemic stroke etiologies. Randomized trials previously showed that MMT, which involves the use of combinations of antiplatelet medications, targeted control of hypertension and serum low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and adequate management of body weight through lifestyle modification, was superior to PTAS in decreasing rates of recurrent ischemic strokes from symptomatic ICAD. MMT performed better than expected, while periprocedural complications were significantly higher than expected in PTAS. Meanwhile, high rates of recurrent ischemic stroke despite MMT remain a great challenge. New clinical evidence continues to emerge on a safer application of PTAS, which is currently offered to a subset of patients who present with recurrent ischemic strokes despite MMT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wondwossen G Tekle
- From the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (W.G.T., A.E.H.), Edinburg; and Valley Baptist Medical Center (W.G.T., A.E.H.), Harlingen, TX.
| | - Ameer E Hassan
- From the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (W.G.T., A.E.H.), Edinburg; and Valley Baptist Medical Center (W.G.T., A.E.H.), Harlingen, TX
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8
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Utility of Dual-Layer Spectral-Detector CTA to Characterize Carotid Atherosclerotic Plaque Components: An Imaging-Histopathology Comparison in Patients Undergoing Endarterectomy. AJR Am J Roentgenol 2021; 218:517-525. [PMID: 34549604 DOI: 10.2214/ajr.21.26540] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Background: The composition of non-calcified portions of carotid atherosclerotic plaque represents an important marker of plaque vulnerability and ischemia risk. Objective: To assess the utility of dual-layer spectral-detector CTA (DLCTA) parameters for carotid plaque component characterization, using histologic results from carotid endarterectomy (CEA) as reference. Methods: Seven patients (5 male, 2 female; 61.6±8.5 years old) with carotid plaque awaiting CEA were prospectively enrolled and underwent preoperative supra-aortic DLCTA. A neuroradiologist and pathologist performed joint slice-by-slice review of histologic slices of resected plaques and CTA images. ROIs were placed on non-calcified components [lipid-rich necrotic core (LRNC), intraplaque hemorrhage (IPH), fibrous tissue, loose matrix (LM)] on CTA images in comparison with corresponding histologic slices using anatomic landmarks. For each ROI, attenuation was recorded for polyenergetic images (CTPI) and virtual monoenergetic images with keV ranging from 40-140 (CT40-140keV); attenuation spectrum curve slope was calculated; and Z-effective value (representing effective atomic number) was recorded. DLCTA parameters were compared among plaque components. Results: Seven plaques with a total of 65 slices and 364 ROIs (159 fibrous tissue, 96 LRNC, 86 loose matrix, 23 IPH) were analyzed. All parameters (CTPI, CT40-140keV, slope from 40 to 140 keV, Z-effective value) showed significant differences between LRNC and the other components (all p<.001). For example, mean CTPI was 37.1±15.1 HU for LRNC, 58.4±21.6 HU for IPH, 69.7±20.5 HU for fibrous tissue, and 69.6±19.6 HU for loose matrix; mean CT40keV was 28.1±36.7 HU for LRNC, 87.5±48.9 HU for IPH, 106.3±47.5 HU for fibrous tissue, and 102.6±48.0 HU for loose matrix. AUC for differentiating LRNC from other components was highest (0.945) for CT40kev and decreased with higher keV; AUC for CTPI was 0.908. CT40kev also had highest accuracy (90.4%); at cutoff of 55.7 HU, CT40kev had 88.5% sensitivity and 90.9% specificity. For differentiating IPH from fibrous tissue and loose matrix, AUC was highest at 0.652 for CTPI and 0.645 for CT40kev. Conclusion: DLCTA showed strong performance in differentiating LRNC from other non-calcified plaque components; CT40kev had highest accuracy, outperforming conventional polyenergetic images. Clinical Impact: DLCTA parameters may help characterize carotid plaque composition as a marker of vulnerable plaque and ischemia risk.
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9
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Shi K, Xiao W, Wu G, Xiao Y, Lei Y, Yu J, Gu Y. Temporal-Spatial Feature Extraction of DSA Video and Its Application in AVM Diagnosis. Front Neurol 2021; 12:655523. [PMID: 34122304 PMCID: PMC8193229 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2021.655523] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2021] [Accepted: 04/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Objectives: Brain arteriovenous malformation (AVM) is one of the most common causes of intracranial hemorrhage in young adults, and its expeditious diagnosis on digital subtraction angiography (DSA) is essential for clinical decision-making. This paper firstly proposed a deep learning network to extract vascular time-domain features from DSA videos. Then, the temporal features were combined with spatial radiomics features to build an AVM-assisted diagnosis model. Materials and method: Anteroposterior position (AP) DSA videos from 305 patients, 153 normal and 152 with AVM, were analyzed. A deep learning network based on Faster-RCNN was proposed to track important vascular features in DSA. Then the appearance order of important vascular structures was quantified as the temporal features. The structure distribution and morphological features of vessels were quantified as 1,750 radiomics features. Temporal features and radiomics features were fused in a classifier based on sparse representation and support vector machine. An AVM diagnosis and grading system that combined the temporal and spatial radiomics features of DSA was finally proposed. Accuracy (ACC), sensitivity (SENS), specificity (SPEC), and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) were calculated to evaluate the performance of the radiomics model. Results: For cerebrovascular structure detection, the average precision (AP) was 0.922, 0.991, 0.769, 0.899, and 0.929 for internal carotid artery, Willis circle, vessels, large veins, and venous sinuses, respectively. The mean average precision (mAP) of five time phases was 0.902. For AVM diagnosis, the models based on temporal features, radiomics features, and combined features achieved AUC of 0.916, 0.918, and 0.942, respectively. In the AVM grading task, the proposed combined model also achieved AUC of 0.871 in the independent testing set. Conclusion: DSA videos provide rich temporal and spatial distribution characteristics of cerebral blood vessels. Clinicians often interpret these features based on subjective experience. This paper proposes a scheme based on deep learning and traditional machine learning, which effectively integrates the complex spatiotemporal features in DSA, and verifies the value of this scheme in the diagnosis of AVM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keke Shi
- Department of Electronic Engineering, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China
| | - Weiping Xiao
- Department of Neurosurgery, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- School of Information Science and Technology, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Function Restoration and Neural Regeneration, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai, China
| | - Guoqing Wu
- Department of Electronic Engineering, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yang Xiao
- Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China
| | - Yu Lei
- Department of Neurosurgery, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- School of Information Science and Technology, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Function Restoration and Neural Regeneration, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai, China
| | - Jinhua Yu
- Department of Electronic Engineering, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yuxiang Gu
- Department of Neurosurgery, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- School of Information Science and Technology, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Function Restoration and Neural Regeneration, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai, China
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10
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Abstract
Carotid atherosclerosis is an important contributor to ischemic stroke. When imaging carotid atherosclerosis, it is essential to describe both the degree of luminal stenosis and specific plaque characteristics because both are risk factors for cerebrovascular ischemia. Carotid atherosclerosis can be accurately assessed using multiple imaging techniques, including ultrasonography, computed tomography angiography, and magnetic resonance angiography. By understanding the underlying histopathology, the specific plaque characteristics on each of these imaging modalities can be appreciated. This article briefly describes some of the most commonly encountered plaque features, including plaque calcification, intraplaque hemorrhage, lipid-rich necrotic core, and plaque ulceration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hediyeh Baradaran
- Department of Radiology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
| | - Ajay Gupta
- Department of Radiology, Weill Cornell Medicine, 525 East 68th Street, Box 141, New York, NY 10021, USA; Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
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Nienhuis PH, van Praagh GD, Glaudemans AWJM, Brouwer E, Slart RHJA. A Review on the Value of Imaging in Differentiating between Large Vessel Vasculitis and Atherosclerosis. J Pers Med 2021; 11:jpm11030236. [PMID: 33806941 PMCID: PMC8005013 DOI: 10.3390/jpm11030236] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2021] [Revised: 03/14/2021] [Accepted: 03/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Imaging is becoming increasingly important for the diagnosis of large vessel vasculitis (LVV). Atherosclerosis may be difficult to distinguish from LVV on imaging as both are inflammatory conditions of the arterial wall. Differentiating atherosclerosis from LVV is important to enable optimal diagnosis, risk assessment, and tailored treatment at a patient level. This paper reviews the current evidence of ultrasound (US), 2-deoxy-2-[18F]fluoro-D-glucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET), computed tomography (CT), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to distinguish LVV from atherosclerosis. In this review, we identified a total of eight studies comparing LVV patients to atherosclerosis patients using imaging—four US studies, two FDG-PET studies, and two CT studies. The included studies mostly applied different methodologies and outcome parameters to investigate vessel wall inflammation. This review reports the currently available evidence and provides recommendations on further methodological standardization methods and future directions for research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pieter H. Nienhuis
- Department of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, Medical Imaging Center, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, 9700 RB Groningen, The Netherlands; (G.D.v.P.); (A.W.J.M.G.); (R.H.J.A.S.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Gijs D. van Praagh
- Department of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, Medical Imaging Center, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, 9700 RB Groningen, The Netherlands; (G.D.v.P.); (A.W.J.M.G.); (R.H.J.A.S.)
| | - Andor W. J. M. Glaudemans
- Department of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, Medical Imaging Center, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, 9700 RB Groningen, The Netherlands; (G.D.v.P.); (A.W.J.M.G.); (R.H.J.A.S.)
| | - Elisabeth Brouwer
- Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, 9700 RB Groningen, The Netherlands;
| | - Riemer H. J. A. Slart
- Department of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, Medical Imaging Center, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, 9700 RB Groningen, The Netherlands; (G.D.v.P.); (A.W.J.M.G.); (R.H.J.A.S.)
- Department of Biomedical Photonic Imaging, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Twente, 7500 AE Enschede, The Netherlands
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12
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Feng Y, Wu T, Wang T, Li Y, Li M, Li L, Yang B, Bai X, Zhang X, Wang Y, Gao P, Chen Y, Ma Y, Jiao L. Correlation between intracranial vertebral artery stenosis diameter measured by digital subtraction angiography and cross-sectional area measured by optical coherence tomography. J Neurointerv Surg 2020; 13:1002-1006. [DOI: 10.1136/neurintsurg-2020-016835] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2020] [Revised: 10/30/2020] [Accepted: 10/30/2020] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
BackgroundIntracranial vertebral artery (V4 segment) stenosis quantification traditionally uses the narrowest stenosis diameter. However, the stenotic V4 lumen is commonly irregularly shaped. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) allows a more precise calculation of V4 geometry. We compared the narrowest diameter stenosis (DS), measured by digital subtraction angiography (DSA), with the area stenosis (AS), measured by OCT. We hypothesized that DS is the gold standard for measuring the degree of stenosis.MethodsFive neuroradiologists evaluated 49 stenosed V4 segments in a blinded protocol. V4 stenosis was measured in millimeters on DSA at its narrowest diameter. OCT was used to estimate the cross-sectional luminal area. We also used automated software to measure DS. Three different angles (anterior, lateral, and oblique views) were used for calculations, and the North American Symptomatic Carotid Endarterectomy Trial (NASCET) and Warfarin–Aspirin Symptomatic Intracranial Disease (WASID) methods were used in all measurements. Spearman’s R values were calculated. Non-linear regression analysis was performed between the DS and AS, with statistically different correlations.ResultsA high correlation was observed between the WASID and NASCET methods to measure DS with observer measurement and automated software. A good correlation was found between DS measured by observers and AS measured by OCT. Non-linear regression analysis showed that only observer measurement using the oblique view and the WASID method could attain statistically significant differences, but it was weak (r=0.389).ConclusionMeasurement of the narrowest diameter was not a reliable predictor of the cross-sectional area of V4 stenosis. Larger studies are therefore needed to develop a new evaluation system based on V4 stenosis.
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Banno H, Kawai Y, Sato T, Tsuruoka T, Sugimoto M, Kodama A, Komori K. Low-density vulnerable thrombus/plaque volume on preoperative computed tomography predicts for spinal cord ischemia after endovascular repair for thoracic aortic aneurysm. J Vasc Surg 2020; 73:1557-1565.e1. [PMID: 33068765 DOI: 10.1016/j.jvs.2020.09.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2020] [Accepted: 09/22/2020] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Similar to open surgical repair, thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) carries a risk of spinal cord ischemia (SCI). However, the generally lower incidence of SCI after TEVAR compared with that after open surgical repair, despite the inability to preserve the intercostal arteries, indicates different pathophysiologic mechanisms with the two procedures. We hypothesized that a microembolism from an aortic mural thrombus is the main cause of SCI. Thus, we evaluated the association between the density of a mural thrombus in the descending thoracic aorta and the development of SCI. METHODS A retrospective review of a prospectively assembled database was performed for all patients who had undergone surgery at a single institution from October 2008 to December 2018. Patient demographics and procedure-related variables were collected. The volume and Hounsfield unit (HU) value of mural thrombi in the whole descending thoracic aorta were estimated on preoperative computed tomography using a three-dimensional workstation. Logistic regression analysis was performed to identify the risk factors for SCI development. RESULTS Of the 367 patients who had undergone TEVAR during the study period, 155 were excluded because of previous arch surgery (n = 59), previous descending thoracic aortic surgery (n = 6), previous TEVAR (n = 6), unavailability of optimal preoperative computed tomography data (n = 17), double-barreled dissection (n = 40), and other reasons. The mean ± standard deviation age of the remaining 212 patients was 75.8 ± 6.4 years, and 42 (19.8%) were women. Of the 212 patients, 14 (6.6%) developed SCI after TEVAR. The low mean density of the mural thrombus, total thrombus volume, low-density (≥-100 HU but <30 HU) thrombus volume, intermediate-density (≥30 HU but <150 HU) thrombus volume, treatment length, urgent surgery, and baseline dialysis differed significantly between patients with and without SCI. Although subsequent multivariate analysis could not be performed owing to the small number of SCI events, vulnerable low-density thrombus/plaque was a stronger predictor among the aneurysm-related factors of SCI after TEVAR on univariate analysis. Well-known risk factors, such as distal coverage between T8 and L1, left subclavian artery coverage, previous abdominal aortic surgery, and prophylactic spinal drainage, did not show significant differences. CONCLUSIONS The results from the present study have demonstrated that among aneurysm-related factors, a lower density mural thrombus/plaque in the descending thoracic aorta is a predictor of SCI development after TEVAR. These results suggest that microembolism is one of the important mechanisms of SCI after TEVAR, which might change the prophylactic strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiroshi Banno
- Division of Vascular Surgery, Department of Surgery, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan.
| | - Yohei Kawai
- Division of Vascular Surgery, Department of Surgery, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Tomohiro Sato
- Division of Vascular Surgery, Department of Surgery, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Takuya Tsuruoka
- Division of Vascular Surgery, Department of Surgery, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Masayuki Sugimoto
- Division of Vascular Surgery, Department of Surgery, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Akio Kodama
- Division of Vascular Surgery, Department of Surgery, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Kimihiro Komori
- Division of Vascular Surgery, Department of Surgery, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan
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14
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Bai X, Gao P, Zhang D, Zhang S, Liang J, Lu X, Sui B. Plaque burden assessment and attenuation measurement of carotid atherosclerotic plaque using virtual monoenergetic images in comparison to conventional polyenergetic images from dual-layer spectral detector CT. Eur J Radiol 2020; 132:109302. [PMID: 33007518 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejrad.2020.109302] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2020] [Accepted: 09/21/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE To compare virtual monoenergetic images (VMIs) with conventional polyenergetic images (PI) of Dual-layer spectral detector CT angiography (DLCTA) in plaque burden assessment and attenuation measurement of carotid atherosclerotic plaques. METHODS Supra-aortic DLCTA imaging of thirty patients (8 female, mean ages 63.1 ± 7.5 years) were respectively reviewed. Lumen area, wall area, and calcified area of plaques were outlined and recorded. Normalized wall index (NWI) was calculated for plaque burden and compared between PI and different VMIs. The attenuation of the non-calcified, calcified area of the plaques, sternocleidomastoid muscle (SCM), as well as Z effective values were measured and compared. RESULTS Fifty carotid plaques (27 left, 23 right) of thirty patients were analyzed. The average values of lumen, wall, calcified areas and NWI on PI were 34.50 ± 20.57mm2, 47.61 ± 19.94 mm2, 5.25 mm2 (1.35- 51.86 mm2), and 0.59 ± 0.16 respectively. No significant difference was found in the lumen area (p = 0.314), wall area (p = 0.600), and NWI (p = 0.980) between different VMIs and PI. A significant difference was found in the calcified area between VMIs and PI (p = 0.009). Attenuations of non-calcified and calcified components in carotid plaques were comparable to PI for 50-120 keV (all: p > 0.05) and 60-120 keVs (all p > 0.05), respectively. Z Effective values for non-calcified, calcified and SCM were 7.67 ± 0.42, 11.70 ± 1.22, and 7.45 ± 0.12, respectively. CONCLUSIONS Carotid plaque burden assessment was comparable between PI and VMIs at 40-120 keVs. Attenuations of non-calcified components in carotid plaques were comparable to PI for 50-120 keV VMIs of DLCTA. VMIs might provide more information on carotid plaque features.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoyan Bai
- Department of Radiology, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100070, China
| | - Peiyi Gao
- Department of Radiology, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100070, China
| | - Dong Zhang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100070, China
| | - Shaosen Zhang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100070, China
| | - Jiang Liang
- Department of Radiology, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100070, China
| | - Xiaomei Lu
- CT Clinical Science, Philips Healthcare, Shenyang 110016, China
| | - Binbin Sui
- Tiantan Neuroimaging Center of Excellence, China National Clinical Research Center for Neurological Diseases, Beijing 100070, China; Department of Radiology, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100070, China.
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15
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Murgia A, Balestrieri A, Francone M, Lucatelli P, Scapin E, Buckler A, Micheletti G, Faa G, Conti M, Suri JS, Guglielmi G, Carriero A, Saba L. Plaque imaging volume analysis: technique and application. Cardiovasc Diagn Ther 2020; 10:1032-1047. [PMID: 32968659 PMCID: PMC7487381 DOI: 10.21037/cdt.2020.03.01] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2019] [Accepted: 02/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The prevention and management of atherosclerosis poses a tough challenge to public health organizations worldwide. Together with myocardial infarction, stroke represents its main manifestation, with up to 25% of all ischemic strokes being caused by thromboembolism arising from the carotid arteries. Therefore, a vast number of publications have focused on the characterization of the culprit lesion, the atherosclerotic plaque. A paradigm shift appears to be taking place at the current state of research, as the attention is gradually moving from the classically defined degree of stenosis to the identification of features of plaque vulnerability, which appear to be more reliable predictors of recurrent cerebrovascular events. The present review will offer a perspective on the present state of research in the field of carotid atherosclerotic disease, focusing on the imaging modalities currently used in the study of the carotid plaque and the impact that such diagnostic means are having in the clinical setting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandro Murgia
- Department of Radiology, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria (A.O.U.), di Cagliari – Polo di Monserrato, s.s. 554 Monserrato (Cagliari) 09045, Italy
| | - Antonella Balestrieri
- Department of Radiology, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria (A.O.U.), di Cagliari – Polo di Monserrato, s.s. 554 Monserrato (Cagliari) 09045, Italy
| | - Marco Francone
- Department of Radiological, Oncological and Anatomopathological Sciences-Radiology, ‘Sapienza’ University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Pierleone Lucatelli
- Department of Radiological, Oncological and Anatomopathological Sciences-Radiology, ‘Sapienza’ University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Elisa Scapin
- Department of Radiology, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria (A.O.U.), di Cagliari – Polo di Monserrato, s.s. 554 Monserrato (Cagliari) 09045, Italy
| | | | - Giulio Micheletti
- Department of Radiology, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria (A.O.U.), di Cagliari – Polo di Monserrato, s.s. 554 Monserrato (Cagliari) 09045, Italy
| | - Gavino Faa
- Department of Pathology, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria (A.O.U.), di Cagliari – Polo San Giovanni di Dio, Cagliari (Cagliari) 09045, Italy
| | - Maurizio Conti
- Diagnostic and Monitoring Division, AtheroPoint™ LLC, Roseville, CA, USA
- Department of Electrical Engineering, U of Idaho (Affl.), Idaho, USA
| | - Jasjit S. Suri
- Diagnostic and Monitoring Division, AtheroPoint™ LLC, Roseville, CA, USA
- Department of Electrical Engineering, U of Idaho (Affl.), Idaho, USA
| | | | - Alessandro Carriero
- Department of Radiology, Maggiore della Carità Hospital, Università del Piemonte Orientale, Novara, Italy
| | - Luca Saba
- Department of Radiology, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria (A.O.U.), di Cagliari – Polo di Monserrato, s.s. 554 Monserrato (Cagliari) 09045, Italy
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Imaging Features of Vulnerable Carotid Atherosclerotic Plaque and the Associated Clinical Implications. CURRENT TREATMENT OPTIONS IN CARDIOVASCULAR MEDICINE 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s11936-020-00821-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
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17
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Baradaran H, Gupta A. Carotid Vessel Wall Imaging on CTA. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol 2020; 41:380-386. [PMID: 32029468 DOI: 10.3174/ajnr.a6403] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2019] [Accepted: 12/17/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Vessel wall imaging has been increasingly used to characterize plaque beyond luminal narrowing to identify patients who may be at the highest risk of cerebrovascular ischemia. Although detailed plaque information can be obtained from many imaging modalities, CTA is particularly appealing for carotid plaque imaging due to its relatively low cost, wide availability, operator independence, and ability to discern high-risk features. The present Review Article describes the current understanding of plaque characteristics on CTA by describing commonly encountered plaque features, including calcified and soft plaque, surface irregularities, neovascularization, and inflammation. The goal of this Review Article was to provide a more robust understanding of clinically relevant plaque features detectable on routine CTA of the carotid arteries.
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Affiliation(s)
- H Baradaran
- From the Department of Radiology (H.B.), University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah
| | - A Gupta
- Department of Radiology (A.G.), Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York
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18
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Neumann S, Milano EG, Bucciarelli-Ducci C, Biglino G. Imaging the carotid atherosclerotic plaque. VASCULAR BIOLOGY (BRISTOL, ENGLAND) 2019; 1:H53-H58. [PMID: 32923954 PMCID: PMC7439847 DOI: 10.1530/vb-19-0010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2019] [Accepted: 06/28/2019] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
This mini review provides a concise overview of imaging techniques that are currently used to image the atheroscletoric plaque in the carotid artery in vivo. The main techniques include ultrasound imaging, X-ray imaging, magnetic resonance imaging and positron emission tomography imaging. Each technique has advantages and limitations and may be chosen depending on the availability, cost and clinical justification for its use. Common to all the imaging techniques presented here is the need for a skilled imaging professional to allow for high reliability and repeatability. While ultrasound-based imaging currently is regarded as a first line technique in clinical practice, the use of other techniques such as computed tomography angiography or magnetic resonance angiography need to be considered in the presence of significant stenosis with or without symptoms. Advancements in these two modalities, as well as in positron emission tomography imaging, are increasingly moving toward a better understanding of the risk-stratification and pre-interventional monitoring of patients at risk of plaque rupture as well as early identification of plaque development and better understanding of plaque composition (e.g. metabolic imaging).
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra Neumann
- Research and Imaging Centre (CRIC) Bristol, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Elena G Milano
- UCL Institute of Cardiovascular Science and Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, London, UK
- Department of Surgery, Dentistry, Paediatrics and Gynaecology, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Chiara Bucciarelli-Ducci
- Research and Imaging Centre (CRIC) Bristol, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
- University Hospitals Bristol, NHS Foundation Trust, Bristol, UK
- Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Giovanni Biglino
- Research and Imaging Centre (CRIC) Bristol, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
- Department of Surgery, Dentistry, Paediatrics and Gynaecology, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
- University Hospitals Bristol, NHS Foundation Trust, Bristol, UK
- Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
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19
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Semiautomated Characterization of Carotid Artery Plaque Features From Computed Tomography Angiography to Predict Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease Risk Score. J Comput Assist Tomogr 2019; 43:452-459. [PMID: 31082951 DOI: 10.1097/rct.0000000000000862] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE To investigate whether selected carotid computed tomography angiography (CTA) quantitative features can predict 10-year atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk scores. METHODS One hundred seventeen patients with calculated ASCVD risk scores were considered. A semiautomated imaging analysis software was used to segment and quantify plaque features. Eighty patients were randomly selected to build models using 14 imaging variables and the calculated ASCVD risk score as the end point (continuous and binarized). The remaining 37 patients were used as the test set to generate predicted ASCVD scores. The predicted and observed ASCVD risk scores were compared to assess properties of the predictive model. RESULTS Nine of 14 CTA imaging variables were included in a model that considered the plaque features in a continuous fashion (model 1) and 6 in a model that considered the plaque features dichotomized (model 2). The predicted ASCVD risk scores were 18.87% ± 13.26% and 18.39% ± 11.6%, respectively. There were strong correlations between the observed ASCVD and the predicted ASCVDs, with r = 0.736 for model 1 and r = 0.657 for model 2. The mean biases between observed ASCVD and predicted ASCVDs were -1.954% ± 10.88% and -1.466% ± 12.04%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS Selected quantitative imaging carotid features extracted from the semiautomated carotid artery analysis can predict the ASCVD risk scores.
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Pereira T, Betriu A, Alves R. Non-invasive imaging techniques and assessment of carotid vasa vasorum neovascularization: Promises and pitfalls. Trends Cardiovasc Med 2018; 29:71-80. [PMID: 29970286 DOI: 10.1016/j.tcm.2018.06.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2018] [Revised: 06/12/2018] [Accepted: 06/14/2018] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Carotid adventitia vasa vasorum neovascularization (VVn) is associated with the initial stages of arteriosclerosis and with the formation of unstable plaque. However, techniques to accurately quantify that neovascularization in a standard, fast, non-invasive, and efficient way are still lacking. The development of such techniques holds the promise of enabling wide, inexpensive, and safe screening programs that could stratify patients and help in personalized preventive cardiovascular medicine. In this paper, we review the recent scientific literature pertaining to imaging techniques that could set the stage for the development of standard methods for quantitative assessment of atherosclerotic plaque and carotid VVn. We present and discuss the alternative imaging techniques being used in clinical practice and we review the computational developments that are contributing to speed up image analysis and interpretation. We conclude that one of the greatest upcoming challenges will be the use of machine learning techniques to develop automated methods that assist in the interpretation of images to stratify patients according to their risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- T Pereira
- Institute for Biomedical Research in Lleida Dr. Pifarré Foundation, Catalonia, Spain; Departament de Ciències Mèdiques Bàsiques, University of Lleida, Catalonia, Spain.
| | - A Betriu
- Unit for the Detection and Treatment of Atherothrombotic Diseases, Hospital Universitari Arnau de Vilanova de Lleida, Catalonia, Spain; Vascular and Renal Translational Research Group - IRBLleida, Catalonia, Spain
| | - R Alves
- Institute for Biomedical Research in Lleida Dr. Pifarré Foundation, Catalonia, Spain; Departament de Ciències Mèdiques Bàsiques, University of Lleida, Catalonia, Spain
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Athanasiou LS, Rigas GA, Sakellarios AI, Exarchos TP, Siogkas PK, Michalis LK, Parodi O, Vozzi F, Fotiadis DI. Three-dimensional reconstruction of coronary arteries and plaque morphology using CT angiography - comparison and registration using IVUS. ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE OF THE IEEE ENGINEERING IN MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY SOCIETY. IEEE ENGINEERING IN MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY SOCIETY. ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE 2018; 2015:5638-41. [PMID: 26737571 DOI: 10.1109/embc.2015.7319671] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The aim of this study is to present a new method for three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction of coronary arteries and plaque morphology using Computed Tomography (CT) Angiography. The method is summarized in three steps. In the first step, image filters are applied to CT images and an initial estimation of the vessel borders is extracted. In the second step, the 3D centerline is extracted using the center of gravity of each rough artery border. Finally in the third step, the borders and the plaque are detected and placed onto the 3D centerline constructing a 3D surface. By using as gold standard the results of a recently presented Intravascular Ultrasound (IVUS) plaque characterization method, high correlation is observed for calcium objects detected by CT and IVUS. The correlation coefficients for objects' volume, surface area, length and angle are r=0.51, r=0.89, r=0.96 and r=0.93, respectively.
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Diab HMH, Rasmussen LM, Duvnjak S, Diederichsen A, Jensen PS, Lindholt JS. Computed tomography scan based prediction of the vulnerable carotid plaque. BMC Med Imaging 2017; 17:61. [PMID: 29237404 PMCID: PMC5729460 DOI: 10.1186/s12880-017-0233-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2017] [Accepted: 11/24/2017] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Primary to validate a commercial semi-automated computed tomography angiography (CTA) -software for vulnerable plaque detection compared to histology of carotid endarterectomy (CEA) specimens and secondary validating calcifications scores by in vivo CTA with ex vivo non-contrast enhanced computed tomography (NCCT). METHODS From January 2014 to October 2016 53 patients were included retrospectively, using a cross-sectional design. All patients underwent both CTA and CEA. Sixteen patients had their CEA specimen NCCT scanned. The semi-automated CTA software analyzed carotid stenosis using different HU values defining plaque components. The predictive values of CTA based detection of vulnerable plaques were calculated. Quantification of calcifications on CTA using region of interest (ROI)-function and mathematical equations was done manually, and validated by NCCT of the CEA specimen. RESULTS The semi-automated CTA software had a sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) of 89.1% (95% CI, 73.6% - 96.4%), 31.3% (95% CI, 12.1% - 58.5%), 75% (95% CI, 59.3% - 86.2%) and 55.6% (95% CI, 22.6% - 84.6%). Strong correlation between in vivo CTA and ex vivo NCCT in quantification of calcification was observed, but CTA systematically underestimated calcificationsscore (CALS) with increasing calcification. CONCLUSION The CTA-software cannot be used in risk assessment of patients, due to poor specificity and NPV. The correlation between in vivo CTA and ex vivo NCCT was strong, proposing it to be used in both scientifically and clinical settings, but studies with larger sample sizes are needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hadi Mahmoud Haider Diab
- Department of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery, Odense University Hospital, Sdr. Boulevard 29, 5000 Odense C, Denmark
| | - Lars Melholt Rasmussen
- Department of Clinical Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Odense University Hospital, Sdr. Boulevard 29, 5000 Odense C, Denmark
| | - Stevo Duvnjak
- Department of Radiology, Odense University Hospital, Sdr. Boulevard 29, 5000 Odense C, Denmark
| | - Axel Diederichsen
- Department of Cardiology, Odense University Hospital, Sdr. Boulevard 29, 5000 Odense C, Denmark
| | - Pia Søndergaard Jensen
- Department of Clinical Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Odense University Hospital, Sdr. Boulevard 29, 5000 Odense C, Denmark
| | - Jes Sanddal Lindholt
- Department of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery, Odense University Hospital, Sdr. Boulevard 29, 5000 Odense C, Denmark
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Yoshimura S. Japanese Congress of Neurological Surgeons Presidential Address—Treatment of Carotid Artery Stenosis Based on Plaque Imaging. Neurosurgery 2017; 64:129-133. [DOI: 10.1093/neuros/nyx231] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2017] [Accepted: 07/27/2017] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
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Kamalian S, Lev MH, Pomerantz SR. Dual-Energy Computed Tomography Angiography of the Head and Neck and Related Applications. Neuroimaging Clin N Am 2017; 27:429-443. [DOI: 10.1016/j.nic.2017.04.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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Thammongkolchai T, Riaz A, Sundararajan S. Carotid Stenosis: Role of Plaque Morphology in Recurrent Stroke Risk. Stroke 2017; 48:e197-e199. [PMID: 28706118 DOI: 10.1161/strokeaha.117.017779] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2017] [Revised: 05/20/2017] [Accepted: 05/23/2017] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Anum Riaz
- From the Neurological Institute, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, OH
| | - Sophia Sundararajan
- From the Neurological Institute, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, OH.
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Reynoso E, Rodriguez-Granillo GA, Capunay C, Deviggiano A, Meli F, Carrascosa P. Spectral Signal Density of Carotid Plaque Using Dual-Energy Computed Tomography. J Neuroimaging 2017; 27:511-516. [DOI: 10.1111/jon.12440] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2016] [Accepted: 03/07/2017] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Exequiel Reynoso
- Department of Neuroradiology; Diagnóstico Maipú; Buenos Aires Argentina
| | | | - Carlos Capunay
- Department of Cardiovascular Imaging; Diagnóstico Maipú; Buenos Aires Argentina
| | | | - Francisco Meli
- Department of Neuroradiology; Diagnóstico Maipú; Buenos Aires Argentina
| | - Patricia Carrascosa
- Department of Cardiovascular Imaging; Diagnóstico Maipú; Buenos Aires Argentina
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Liu J, Xu ZQ, Cui M, Li L, Cheng Y, Zhou HD. Assessing risk factors for major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events during the perioperative period of carotid angioplasty with stenting patients. Exp Ther Med 2016; 12:1039-1047. [PMID: 27446318 PMCID: PMC4950788 DOI: 10.3892/etm.2016.3360] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2015] [Accepted: 05/18/2016] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Carotid atherosclerotic stenosis is a risk factor for ischemic stroke. The rapid development of neuroimaging techniques had led to carotid angioplasty with stenting (CAS) becoming a useful, effective and minimally invasive method for the treatment of extracranial carotid artery stenosis. The aim of the present study was to identify independent risk factors to predict perioperative major adverse cerebral and cardiovascular events for CAS patients and establish a risk evaluation model. Consecutive patients treated with a standardized CAS procedure were enrolled in the present study. The patients included underwent independent neurological evaluation prior to and after the procedure and at 30 days. The rates of transient ischemic attack, stroke, myocardial infarction and mortality were recorded. A relative regression model was established to evaluate risk factors of perioperative major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE). In total, 403 subjects treated with CAS were enrolled into the study at a baseline MACCE rate of 8.19%, whereas the overall stroke, myocardial infarction and mortality rate at 30 days was 3.97%. The multiple regression analysis revealed that certain factors significantly predicted the 30-day risk of treatment-related MACCE. These factors included age of ≥70 years, ulcerative plaque, severe carotid stenosis, bilateral carotid artery stenting and hemodynamic depression following CAS. The MACCE risk prediction model and risk score system were subsequently established. In conclusion, factors that significantly predicted the 30-day risk of MACCE of CAS included, age of ≥70 years, ulcerative plaque, severe carotid stenosis, bilateral carotid artery stenting and hemodynamic depression, with hemodynamic depression being a controllable factor. The established risk score system is therefore a potentially useful tool that can be employed in the prediction of MACCE after CAS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan Liu
- Department of Neurology and Center for Clinical Neuroscience, Daping Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400042, P.R. China
| | - Zhi-Qiang Xu
- Department of Neurology and Center for Clinical Neuroscience, Daping Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400042, P.R. China
| | - Min Cui
- Department of Neurology and Center for Clinical Neuroscience, Daping Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400042, P.R. China
| | - Ling Li
- Department of Neurology and Center for Clinical Neuroscience, Daping Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400042, P.R. China
| | - Yong Cheng
- Department of Neurology and Center for Clinical Neuroscience, Daping Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400042, P.R. China
| | - Hua-Dong Zhou
- Department of Neurology and Center for Clinical Neuroscience, Daping Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400042, P.R. China
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A Review on Carotid Ultrasound Atherosclerotic Tissue Characterization and Stroke Risk Stratification in Machine Learning Framework. Curr Atheroscler Rep 2016; 17:55. [PMID: 26233633 DOI: 10.1007/s11883-015-0529-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Cardiovascular diseases (including stroke and heart attack) are identified as the leading cause of death in today's world. However, very little is understood about the arterial mechanics of plaque buildup, arterial fibrous cap rupture, and the role of abnormalities of the vasa vasorum. Recently, ultrasonic echogenicity characteristics and morphological characterization of carotid plaque types have been shown to have clinical utility in classification of stroke risks. Furthermore, this characterization supports aggressive and intensive medical therapy as well as procedures, including endarterectomy and stenting. This is the first state-of-the-art review to provide a comprehensive understanding of the field of ultrasonic vascular morphology tissue characterization. This paper presents fundamental and advanced ultrasonic tissue characterization and feature extraction methods for analyzing plaque. Additionally, the paper shows how the risk stratification is achieved using machine learning paradigms. More advanced methods need to be developed which can segment the carotid artery walls into multiple regions such as the bulb region and areas both proximal and distal to the bulb. Furthermore, multimodality imaging is needed for validation of such advanced methods for stroke and cardiovascular risk stratification.
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Brinjikji W, Huston J, Rabinstein AA, Kim GM, Lerman A, Lanzino G. Contemporary carotid imaging: from degree of stenosis to plaque vulnerability. J Neurosurg 2016. [DOI: 10.3171/2015.1.jns142452.test] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Gyeong-Moon Kim
- Department of Neurology, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
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Brinjikji W, Huston J, Rabinstein AA, Kim GM, Lerman A, Lanzino G. Contemporary carotid imaging: from degree of stenosis to plaque vulnerability. J Neurosurg 2015; 124:27-42. [PMID: 26230478 DOI: 10.3171/2015.1.jns142452] [Citation(s) in RCA: 209] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Carotid artery stenosis is a well-established risk factor of ischemic stroke, contributing to up to 10%-20% of strokes or transient ischemic attacks. Many clinical trials over the last 20 years have used measurements of carotid artery stenosis as a means to risk stratify patients. However, with improvements in vascular imaging techniques such as CT angiography and MR angiography, ultrasonography, and PET/CT, it is now possible to risk stratify patients, not just on the degree of carotid artery stenosis but also on how vulnerable the plaque is to rupture, resulting in ischemic stroke. These imaging techniques are ushering in an emerging paradigm shift that allows for risk stratifications based on the presence of imaging features such as intraplaque hemorrhage (IPH), plaque ulceration, plaque neovascularity, fibrous cap thickness, and presence of a lipid-rich necrotic core (LRNC). It is important for the neurosurgeon to be aware of these new imaging techniques that allow for improved patient risk stratification and outcomes. For example, a patient with a low-grade stenosis but an ulcerated plaque may benefit more from a revascularization procedure than a patient with a stable 70% asymptomatic stenosis with a thick fibrous cap. This review summarizes the current state-of-the-art advances in carotid plaque imaging. Currently, MRI is the gold standard in carotid plaque imaging, with its high resolution and high sensitivity for identifying IPH, ulceration, LRNC, and inflammation. However, MRI is limited due to time constraints. CT also allows for high-resolution imaging and can accurately detect ulceration and calcification, but cannot reliably differentiate LRNC from IPH. PET/CT is an effective technique to identify active inflammation within the plaque, but it does not allow for assessment of anatomy, ulceration, IPH, or LRNC. Ultrasonography, with the aid of contrast enhancement, is a cost-effective technique to assess plaque morphology and characteristics, but it is limited in sensitivity and specificity for detecting LRNC, plaque hemorrhage, and ulceration compared with MRI. Also summarized is how these advanced imaging techniques are being used in clinical practice to risk stratify patients with low- and high-grade carotid artery stenosis. For example, identification of IPH on MRI in patients with low-grade carotid artery stenosis is a risk factor for failure of medical therapy, and studies have shown that such patients may fair better with carotid endarterectomy (CEA). MR plaque imaging has also been found to be useful in identifying revascularization candidates who would be better candidates for CEA than carotid artery stenting (CAS), as high intraplaque signal on time of flight imaging is associated with vulnerable plaque and increased rates of adverse events in patients undergoing CAS but not CEA.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Gyeong-Moon Kim
- Department of Neurology, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
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Patel SD, Zymvragoudakis V, Sheehan L, Lea T, Modarai B, Katsanos K, Zayed H. Atherosclerotic Plaque Analysis: A Pilot Study to Assess a Novel Tool to Predict Outcome Following Lower Limb Endovascular Intervention. Eur J Vasc Endovasc Surg 2015; 50:487-93. [PMID: 26134135 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejvs.2015.05.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2014] [Accepted: 05/19/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Atherosclerotic plaque analysis using computed tomography angiography (CTA) has been found to be accurate and reproducible in the coronary and carotid arteries. The aim of our study was to assess the utility of this technique in predicting outcome following lower limb endovascular interventions. METHODS Pre-procedural CTA was retrospectively analysed in 50 patients who had undergone femoropopliteal (F-P) angioplasty (and/or stenting). Plaque analysis was performed using TeraRecon workstation by two observers blinded to the long-term outcome. Using the Hounsfield units (HU) scale atherosclerotic plaque composition was subdivided into volumes of soft (-100-100 HU) fibrocalcific (101-300 HU) or calcified (300-1000 HU) components. The relationship between plaque composition, clinical and procedural variables, and the study end points (vessel patency, binary restenosis rate, and Amputation-Free Survival [AFS]) were assessed using multivariate analysis. RESULTS The technical success rate of the endovascular procedure was 98%, with 48% of patients receiving F-P stents. The AFS was 90%, primary patency 84%, assisted primary patency 88%, and binary restenosis 44% all at 1 year. A significantly greater total volume of calcified plaque (1.1 [.01-3.2] cm(3) vs. .11 [0-1.86] cm(3), p < .001) was found in patients developing restenosis (>50%) compared with those who did not. Patients with a calcified plaque volume greater than 1.1 cm(3) had a significantly worse AFS than those with a volume less than 1.1 cm(3) (p = .0038). Multivariate analysis showed that the percentage calcified plaque (p = .003, HR 11.4, 95% CI 1.45-37.29) was an independent predictor of binary restenosis at 12 months, and that absolute volume of calcified plaque (p = .001, HR 3.56, 95% CI 1.64-7.7) was independently associated with AFS. CONCLUSIONS The burden of calcified plaque, but not soft or fibrocalcific plaque is related to restenosis, reintervention, and AFS. Computed tomography plaque analysis may form an important non-invasive tool for risk stratification in patients undergoing F-P endovascular procedures.
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Affiliation(s)
- S D Patel
- Department of Vascular Surgery, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - V Zymvragoudakis
- Department of Vascular Surgery, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - L Sheehan
- Department of Vascular Surgery, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - T Lea
- Department of Vascular Surgery, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - B Modarai
- Department of Vascular Surgery, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - K Katsanos
- Department of Interventional Radiology, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - H Zayed
- Department of Vascular Surgery, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.
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Prediction of mortality using a multi-bed vascular calcification score in the Diabetes Heart Study. Cardiovasc Diabetol 2014; 13:160. [PMID: 25496604 PMCID: PMC4266952 DOI: 10.1186/s12933-014-0160-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2014] [Accepted: 11/27/2014] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Vascular calcified plaque, a measure of subclinical cardiovascular disease (CVD), is unlikely to be limited to a single vascular bed in patients with multiple risk factors. Consideration of vascular calcified plaque as a global phenomenon may allow for a more accurate assessment of the CVD burden. The aim of this study was to examine the utility of a combined vascular calcified plaque score in the prediction of mortality. Methods Vascular calcified plaque scores from the coronary, carotid, and abdominal aortic vascular beds and a derived multi-bed score were examined for associations with all-cause and CVD-mortality in 699 European-American type 2 diabetes (T2D) affected individuals from the Diabetes Heart Study. The ability of calcified plaque to improve prediction beyond Framingham risk factors was assessed. Results Over 8.4 ± 2.3 years (mean ± standard deviation) of follow-up, 156 (22.3%) participants were deceased, 74 (10.6%) from CVD causes. All calcified plaque scores were significantly associated with all-cause (HR: 1.4-1.8; p < 1x10−5) and CVD-mortality (HR: 1.5-1.9; p < 1×10−4) following adjustment for Framingham risk factors. Associations were strongest for coronary calcified plaque. Improvement in prediction of outcome beyond Framingham risk factors was greatest using coronary calcified plaque for all-cause mortality (AUC: 0.720 to 0.757, p = 0.004) and the multi-bed score for CVD mortality (AUC: 0.731 to 0.767, p = 0.008). Conclusions Although coronary calcified plaque and the multi-bed score were the strongest predictors of all-cause mortality and CVD-mortality respectively in this T2D-affected sample, carotid and abdominal aortic calcified plaque scores also significantly improved prediction of outcome beyond traditional risk factors and should not be discounted as risk stratification tools. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12933-014-0160-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Naim C, Douziech M, Therasse E, Robillard P, Giroux MF, Arsenault F, Cloutier G, Soulez G. Vulnerable atherosclerotic carotid plaque evaluation by ultrasound, computed tomography angiography, and magnetic resonance imaging: an overview. Can Assoc Radiol J 2013; 65:275-86. [PMID: 24360724 DOI: 10.1016/j.carj.2013.05.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2013] [Accepted: 05/31/2013] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Ischemic syndromes associated with carotid atherosclerotic disease are often related to plaque rupture. The benefit of endarterectomy for high-grade carotid stenosis in symptomatic patients has been established. However, in asymptomatic patients, the benefit of endarterectomy remains equivocal. Current research seeks to risk stratify asymptomatic patients by characterizing vulnerable, rupture-prone atherosclerotic plaques. Plaque composition, biology, and biomechanics are studied by noninvasive imaging techniques such as magnetic resonance imaging, computed tomography, ultrasound, and ultrasound elastography. These techniques are at a developmental stage and have yet to be used in clinical practice. This review will describe noninvasive techniques in ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging, and computed tomography imaging modalities used to characterize atherosclerotic plaque, and will discuss their potential clinical applications, benefits, and drawbacks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cyrille Naim
- Département de Radiologie, Radio-Oncologie et Médecine Nucléaire, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Québec, Canada; Research Centre of the Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal and Université de Montréal, Montreal, Québec, Canada
| | - Maxime Douziech
- Département de Radiologie, Radio-Oncologie et Médecine Nucléaire, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Québec, Canada
| | - Eric Therasse
- Département de Radiologie, Radio-Oncologie et Médecine Nucléaire, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Québec, Canada
| | - Pierre Robillard
- Département de Radiologie, Radio-Oncologie et Médecine Nucléaire, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Québec, Canada
| | - Marie-France Giroux
- Département de Radiologie, Radio-Oncologie et Médecine Nucléaire, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Québec, Canada
| | - Frederic Arsenault
- Département de Radiologie, Radio-Oncologie et Médecine Nucléaire, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Québec, Canada
| | - Guy Cloutier
- Research Centre of the Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal and Université de Montréal, Montreal, Québec, Canada; Research Centre of the Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal and Université de Montréal, Montreal, Québec, Canada
| | - Gilles Soulez
- Département de Radiologie, Radio-Oncologie et Médecine Nucléaire, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Québec, Canada; Research Centre of the Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal and Université de Montréal, Montreal, Québec, Canada.
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Korn A, Bender B, Brodoefel H, Hauser TK, Danz S, Ernemann U, Thomas C. Grading of carotid artery stenosis in the presence of extensive calcifications: dual-energy CT angiography in comparison with contrast-enhanced MR angiography. Clin Neuroradiol 2013; 25:33-40. [PMID: 24343701 DOI: 10.1007/s00062-013-0276-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2013] [Accepted: 12/04/2013] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE We investigated the agreement of dual-energy computed tomography angiography (DE-CTA) and contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography (CE-MRA)in the quantitative measurement of stenoses of the internal carotid artery in comparison with digital subtraction angiography (DSA). METHODS A total of 21 patients with stenoses of the external carotid artery were investigated with a DE-CTA and CE-MRA before undergoing carotid angioplasty. The grade of the stenoses was assessed in axial multiplanar reformations (MPR) before and multi-intensity projections (MIP) after plaque subtraction (PS) and compared with results from CE-MRA and DSA according to the North American Symptomatic Carotid Endarterectomy Trial. RESULTS Average grades of stenoses were 80.7 ± 16.1 % (DSA), 81.4 ± 15.3 % (MRA), 80.0 ± 16.7 % (DE-CTA-MPR), and 85.2 ± 14.7 % (DE-CTA-PS-MIP). Of 21 stenoses, 6 were filiform (stenosis grade, 99 %) in the DSA examination. Five of these cases were identified as pseudo-occlusions in MRA, while four were considered as occlusions in DE-CTA-PS-MIP. Another four cases were identified as pseudo-occlusion in DE-CTA-PS-MIP, which were identified as 90 % stenosis in the DSA examination. CONCLUSIONS In comparison with the gold standard DSA, DE-CTA-MPR had a slightly better agreement in measuring the degree of stenosis of the internal carotid arteries than CE-MRA. In DE-CTA-PS-MIP images, a systematic overestimation has to be taken into account due to partial extinction of the lumen by the PS algorithm. Nevertheless, DE-CTA should be preferred in imaging patients with carotid artery stenosis in the presence of extensive calcifications.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Korn
- Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology, University of Tübingen, Hoppe-Seyler-Str. 3, 72076, Tübingen, Germany,
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Hingwala D, Kesavadas C, Sylaja PN, Thomas B, Kapilamoorthy TR. Multimodality imaging of carotid atherosclerotic plaque: Going beyond stenosis. Indian J Radiol Imaging 2013; 23:26-34. [PMID: 23986615 PMCID: PMC3737614 DOI: 10.4103/0971-3026.113616] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Apart from the degree of stenosis, the morphology of carotid atherosclerotic plaques and presence of neovascularization are important factors that may help to evaluate the risk and ‘vulnerability’ of plaques and may also influence the choice of treatment. In this article, we aim to describe the techniques and imaging findings on CTA, high resolution MRI and contrast enhanced ultrasound in the evaluation of carotid atherosclerotic plaques. We also discuss a few representative cases from our institute with the related clinical implications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Divyata Hingwala
- Department of Radiology, Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology, Trivandrum, India
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MacDonald D, Chan A, Harris A, Vertinsky T, Farman AG, Scarfe WC. Diagnosis and management of calcified carotid artery atheroma: dental perspectives. Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol 2013; 114:533-47. [PMID: 22986250 DOI: 10.1016/j.oooo.2012.06.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2012] [Revised: 06/26/2012] [Accepted: 07/09/2012] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
The calcification of cervical carotid artery atheroma (CCAA) represents maturation of a lumenal atherosclerotic plaque that has been associated with a high risk of cerebral stroke. The demonstration of CCAA on rotational panoramic images has received increasing attention in dentistry since it was first described in 1981. The purposes of this article are to provide a background to the mechanism of arterial calcification, to review the clinical diagnostic and management algorithms for dental practitioners when CCAA are identified radiologically, and to describe and illustrate current appropriate radiographic modalities and medical management strategies used to confirm and assess stenosis associated with CCAA.
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Affiliation(s)
- David MacDonald
- Division of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology, Faculty of Dentistry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
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Acharya UR, Sree SV, Mookiah MRK, Saba L, Gao H, Mallarini G, Suri JS. Computed tomography carotid wall plaque characterization using a combination of discrete wavelet transform and texture features: A pilot study. Proc Inst Mech Eng H 2013; 227:643-54. [PMID: 23636747 DOI: 10.1177/0954411913480622] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
In 30% of stroke victims, the cause of stroke has been found to be the stenosis caused by plaques in the carotid artery. Early detection of plaque and subsequent classification of the same into symptomatic and asymptomatic can help the clinicians to choose only those patients who are at a higher risk of stroke for risky surgeries and stenosis treatments. Therefore, in this work, we have proposed a non-invasive computer-aided diagnostic technique to classify the detected plaque into the two classes. Computed tomography (CT) images of the carotid artery images were used to extract Local Binary Pattern (LBP) features and wavelet energy features. Significant features were then used to train and test several supervised learning algorithm based classifiers. The Support Vector Machine (SVM) classifier with various kernel configurations was evaluated using LBP and wavelet features. The SVM classifier presented the highest accuracy of 88%, sensitivity of 90.2%, and specificity of 86.5% for radial basis function (RBF) kernel function. The CT images of the carotid artery provide unique 3D images of the artery and plaque that could be used for calculating percentage of stenosis. Our proposed technique enables automatic classification of plaque into asymptomatic and symptomatic with high accuracy, and hence, it can be used for deciding the course of treatment. We have also proposed a single-valued integrated index (Atheromatic Index) using the significant features which can provide a more objective and faster prediction of the class.
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Affiliation(s)
- U R Acharya
- Department of Electronics and Computer Engineering, Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Singapore, Singapore.
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Chien JD, Furtado A, Cheng SC, Lam J, Schaeffer S, Chun K, Wintermark M. Demographics of carotid atherosclerotic plaque features imaged by computed tomography. J Neuroradiol 2013; 40:1-10. [PMID: 23428245 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurad.2012.05.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2012] [Revised: 05/18/2012] [Accepted: 05/27/2012] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES This was a prospective, cross-sectional study to evaluate the risk factors and symptoms associated with specific carotid wall and atherosclerotic plaque features as seen on computed tomography-angiography (CTA) studies. MATERIALS AND METHODS A total of 120 consecutive consenting patients admitted to the emergency department with suspected cerebrovascular ischemia, and receiving standard-of-care CTA of the brain and neck on a 64-slice CT scanner, were prospectively enrolled in the study. The carotid wall features observed on CT were quantitatively analyzed with customized software using different radiodensities for contrast-phase acquisition of the carotids. Clinical datasets, including a complete medical history and examination, were obtained by research physicians or specially trained associates blinded to any findings on CT. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to assess the degree of association between clinical indicators and quantitative CT features of carotid atherosclerotic plaques. RESULTS Men tended to have increased carotid lumen (coefficient: 608.7; 95% CI: 356.9-860.6; P<0.001) and wall volumes (209.2; 54.5-364.0; P=0.008), and hypertension was associated with increased wall volume (260.6; 88.7-432.6; P=0.003). Advanced age was associated with increases in maximum wall thickness (0.02; 0.003-0.05; P=0.029), fibrous cap thickness (0.005; 0.001-0.008; P=0.016) and number of calcium voxels (2.7; 1.25-4.2; P<0.001), and the presence of a carotid bruit was associated with carotid stenosis length (21.0; 5.38-37.8; P=0.009). Exercise was inversely related to the number of calcium (-37.1; -71.5 - -2.7; P=0.035) and lipid (-7.9; -15.1 - -0.7; P=0.032) voxels. ACE inhibitor use was associated with fibrous cap thickness (0.1; 0.04-0.23; P=0.005). CONCLUSION Significant associations were found between clinical descriptors and carotid atherosclerotic plaque features as revealed by CT. Future studies are needed to validate our findings, and to continue investigations into whether CT features of carotid plaques can be used as biomarkers to quantify the impact of strategies aiming to correct vascular risk factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey D Chien
- University of California San Francisco, Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, Neuroradiology Section, San Francisco, USA
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den Hartog A, Bovens S, Koning W, Hendrikse J, Luijten P, Moll F, Pasterkamp G, de Borst G. Current Status of Clinical Magnetic Resonance Imaging for Plaque Characterisation in Patients with Carotid Artery Stenosis. Eur J Vasc Endovasc Surg 2013. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ejvs.2012.10.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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Sakellarios AI, Stefanou K, Siogkas P, Tsakanikas VD, Bourantas CV, Athanasiou L, Exarchos TP, Fotiou E, Naka KK, Papafaklis MI, Patterson AJ, Young VEL, Gillard JH, Michalis LK, Fotiadis DI. Novel methodology for 3D reconstruction of carotid arteries and plaque characterization based upon magnetic resonance imaging carotid angiography data. Magn Reson Imaging 2012; 30:1068-82. [PMID: 22617149 DOI: 10.1016/j.mri.2012.03.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2011] [Revised: 12/20/2011] [Accepted: 03/08/2012] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
In this study, we present a novel methodology that allows reliable segmentation of the magnetic resonance images (MRIs) for accurate fully automated three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction of the carotid arteries and semiautomated characterization of plaque type. Our approach uses active contours to detect the luminal borders in the time-of-flight images and the outer vessel wall borders in the T(1)-weighted images. The methodology incorporates the connecting components theory for the automated identification of the bifurcation region and a knowledge-based algorithm for the accurate characterization of the plaque components. The proposed segmentation method was validated in randomly selected MRI frames analyzed offline by two expert observers. The interobserver variability of the method for the lumen and outer vessel wall was -1.60%±6.70% and 0.56%±6.28%, respectively, while the Williams Index for all metrics was close to unity. The methodology implemented to identify the composition of the plaque was also validated in 591 images acquired from 24 patients. The obtained Cohen's k was 0.68 (0.60-0.76) for lipid plaques, while the time needed to process an MRI sequence for 3D reconstruction was only 30 s. The obtained results indicate that the proposed methodology allows reliable and automated detection of the luminal and vessel wall borders and fast and accurate characterization of plaque type in carotid MRI sequences. These features render the currently presented methodology a useful tool in the clinical and research arena.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonis I Sakellarios
- Unit of Medical Technology and Intelligent Information Systems, Department of Materials Science, University of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece
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Figueroa AL, Subramanian SS, Cury RC, Truong QA, Gardecki JA, Tearney GJ, Hoffmann U, Brady TJ, Tawakol A. Distribution of Inflammation Within Carotid Atherosclerotic Plaques With High-Risk Morphological Features. Circ Cardiovasc Imaging 2012; 5:69-77. [DOI: 10.1161/circimaging.110.959478] [Citation(s) in RCA: 132] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Amparo L. Figueroa
- From the Cardiac MR PET CT Program, Department of Radiology and Division of Cardiology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA (A.L.F., S.S.S., R.C.C., Q.A.T., U.H., T.J.B., A.T.); Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA (A.L.F.); Baptist Cardiac and Vascular Institute, Miami, FL (R.C.C.); the Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA (Q.A.T., A.T.); Harvard Medical School Wellman Center
| | - Sharath S. Subramanian
- From the Cardiac MR PET CT Program, Department of Radiology and Division of Cardiology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA (A.L.F., S.S.S., R.C.C., Q.A.T., U.H., T.J.B., A.T.); Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA (A.L.F.); Baptist Cardiac and Vascular Institute, Miami, FL (R.C.C.); the Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA (Q.A.T., A.T.); Harvard Medical School Wellman Center
| | - Ricardo C. Cury
- From the Cardiac MR PET CT Program, Department of Radiology and Division of Cardiology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA (A.L.F., S.S.S., R.C.C., Q.A.T., U.H., T.J.B., A.T.); Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA (A.L.F.); Baptist Cardiac and Vascular Institute, Miami, FL (R.C.C.); the Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA (Q.A.T., A.T.); Harvard Medical School Wellman Center
| | - Quynh A. Truong
- From the Cardiac MR PET CT Program, Department of Radiology and Division of Cardiology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA (A.L.F., S.S.S., R.C.C., Q.A.T., U.H., T.J.B., A.T.); Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA (A.L.F.); Baptist Cardiac and Vascular Institute, Miami, FL (R.C.C.); the Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA (Q.A.T., A.T.); Harvard Medical School Wellman Center
| | - Joseph A. Gardecki
- From the Cardiac MR PET CT Program, Department of Radiology and Division of Cardiology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA (A.L.F., S.S.S., R.C.C., Q.A.T., U.H., T.J.B., A.T.); Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA (A.L.F.); Baptist Cardiac and Vascular Institute, Miami, FL (R.C.C.); the Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA (Q.A.T., A.T.); Harvard Medical School Wellman Center
| | - Guillermo J. Tearney
- From the Cardiac MR PET CT Program, Department of Radiology and Division of Cardiology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA (A.L.F., S.S.S., R.C.C., Q.A.T., U.H., T.J.B., A.T.); Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA (A.L.F.); Baptist Cardiac and Vascular Institute, Miami, FL (R.C.C.); the Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA (Q.A.T., A.T.); Harvard Medical School Wellman Center
| | - Udo Hoffmann
- From the Cardiac MR PET CT Program, Department of Radiology and Division of Cardiology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA (A.L.F., S.S.S., R.C.C., Q.A.T., U.H., T.J.B., A.T.); Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA (A.L.F.); Baptist Cardiac and Vascular Institute, Miami, FL (R.C.C.); the Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA (Q.A.T., A.T.); Harvard Medical School Wellman Center
| | - Thomas J. Brady
- From the Cardiac MR PET CT Program, Department of Radiology and Division of Cardiology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA (A.L.F., S.S.S., R.C.C., Q.A.T., U.H., T.J.B., A.T.); Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA (A.L.F.); Baptist Cardiac and Vascular Institute, Miami, FL (R.C.C.); the Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA (Q.A.T., A.T.); Harvard Medical School Wellman Center
| | - Ahmed Tawakol
- From the Cardiac MR PET CT Program, Department of Radiology and Division of Cardiology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA (A.L.F., S.S.S., R.C.C., Q.A.T., U.H., T.J.B., A.T.); Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA (A.L.F.); Baptist Cardiac and Vascular Institute, Miami, FL (R.C.C.); the Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA (Q.A.T., A.T.); Harvard Medical School Wellman Center
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Yu SS, Ortega RA, Reagan BW, McPherson JA, Sung HJ, Giorgio TD. Emerging applications of nanotechnology for the diagnosis and management of vulnerable atherosclerotic plaques. WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS-NANOMEDICINE AND NANOBIOTECHNOLOGY 2011; 3:620-46. [PMID: 21834059 DOI: 10.1002/wnan.158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
An estimated 16 million people in the United States have coronary artery disease (CAD), and approximately 325,000 people die annually from cardiac arrest. About two-thirds of unexpected cardiac deaths occur without prior recognition of cardiac disease. A vast majority of these deaths are attributable to the rupture of 'vulnerable atherosclerotic plaques'. Clinically, plaque vulnerability is typically assessed through imaging techniques, and ruptured plaques leading to acute myocardial infarction are treated through angioplasty or stenting. Despite significant advances, it is clear that current imaging methods are insufficiently capable for elucidating plaque composition--which is a key determinant of vulnerability. Further, the exciting improvement in the treatment of CAD afforded by stenting procedures has been buffered by significant undesirable host-implant effects, including restenosis and late thrombosis. Nanotechnology has led to some potential solutions to these problems by yielding constructs that interface with plaque cellular components at an unprecedented size scale. By leveraging the innate ability of macrophages to phagocytose nanoparticles, contrast agents can now be targeted to plaque inflammatory activity. Improvements in nano-patterning procedures have now led to increased ability to regenerate tissue isotropy directly on stents, enabling gradual regeneration of normal, physiologic vascular structures. Advancements in immunoassay technologies promise lower costs for biomarker measurements, and in the near future, may enable the addition of routine blood testing to the clinician's toolbox--decreasing the costs of atherosclerosis-related medical care. These are merely three examples among many stories of how nanotechnology continues to promise advances in the diagnosis and treatment of vulnerable atherosclerotic plaques.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shann S Yu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
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High-resolution MRI of carotid plaque with a neurovascular coil and contrast-enhanced MR angiography: one-stop shopping for the comprehensive assessment of carotid atherosclerosis. AJR Am J Roentgenol 2011; 196:1164-71. [PMID: 21512087 DOI: 10.2214/ajr.10.4751] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The objective of our study was to assess a protocol of study of carotid atherosclerosis coupling vascular wall imaging and luminal imaging in the same examination and to evaluate the accuracy of high-resolution MRI with a neurovascular coil in carotid plaque characterization. SUBJECTS AND METHODS Thirty-two consecutive patients with 34 carotid artery stenoses were prospectively enrolled. MRI was performed on a 1.5-T unit. Plaque assessment was performed starting with a diffusion-weighted sequence and followed by a fat-suppressed T1-weighted sequence; after contrast-enhanced MR angiography (CE-MRA), all patients were evaluated with a T1-weighted 3D high-resolution sequence. Carotid plaques were classified as type A, having a large lipid-necrotic core; type B, being a complex fibrotic-calcified plaque with soft content (mixed plaque); or type C, being a fibrotic-calcified plaque (hard). Additional features indicative of vulnerable plaque such as intraplaque hemorrhage (IPH), ulceration, and severe stenosis were registered. MR findings were compared with surgical specimens. RESULTS MRI correctly identified 11 of 13 type A, eight of 11 type B, and eight of 10 type C plaques (sensitivity, 84.6%, 72.7%, and 80%, respectively). In the identification of lipid-necrotic core plaque, MRI showed a sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) of 84.6%, 100%, 100%, and 91.3%, respectively (κ = 0.87). For reordering all plaques in two groups (i.e., soft vs nonsoft) in the identification of soft plaques, MRI had a sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV of 83.3%, 80%, 90.9%, and 66.7%, respectively (κ = 0.59). IPH, ulcers, and severe stenosis were detected in eight of eight, 11 of 13, and 25 of 25 cases, respectively. CONCLUSION In patients with carotid atherosclerosis, ongoing CE-MRA with a neurovascular coil for the simultaneous detection of unstable plaques is feasible. Our MR protocol accurately identifies the major features of vulnerable plaque.
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Nabavi V, Ahmadi N, Bhatia HS, Flores F, Ebrahimi R, Karlsberg RP, Budoff MJ. Increased carotid wall thickness measured by computed tomography is associated with the presence and severity of coronary artery calcium. Atherosclerosis 2011; 215:103-9. [DOI: 10.1016/j.atherosclerosis.2010.11.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2010] [Revised: 11/09/2010] [Accepted: 11/25/2010] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
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ten Kate GL, Sijbrands EJ, Staub D, Coll B, ten Cate FJ, Feinstein SB, Schinkel AFL. Noninvasive imaging of the vulnerable atherosclerotic plaque. Curr Probl Cardiol 2011; 35:556-91. [PMID: 20974314 DOI: 10.1016/j.cpcardiol.2010.09.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Atherosclerosis is an inflammatory disease, complicated by progressively increasing atherosclerotic plaques that eventually may rupture. Plaque rupture is a major cause of cardiovascular events, such as unstable angina, myocardial infarction, and stroke. A number of noninvasive imaging techniques have been developed to evaluate the vascular wall in an attempt to identify so-called vulnerable atherosclerotic plaques that are prone to rupture. The purpose of the present review is to systematically investigate the accuracy of noninvasive imaging techniques in the identification of plaque components and morphologic characteristics associated with plaque vulnerability, assessing their clinical and diagnostic value.
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Abstract
Vessel wall imaging of large vessels has the potential to identify culprit atherosclerotic plaques that lead to cardiovascular events. Comprehensive assessment of atherosclerotic plaque size, composition, and biological activity is possible with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Magnetic resonance imaging of the atherosclerotic plaque has demonstrated high accuracy and measurement reproducibility for plaque size. The accuracy of in vivo multicontrast MRI for identification of plaque composition has been validated against histological findings. Magnetic resonance imaging markers of plaque biological activity such as neovasculature and inflammation have been demonstrated. In contrast to other plaque imaging modalities, MRI can be used to study multiple vascular beds noninvasively over time. In this review, we compare the status of in vivo plaque imaging by MRI to competing imaging modalities. Recent MR technological improvements allow fast, accurate, and reproducible plaque imaging. An overview of current MRI techniques required for carotid plaque imaging including hardware, specialized pulse sequences, and processing algorithms are presented. In addition, the application of these techniques to coronary, aortic, and peripheral vascular beds is reviewed.
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Dual energy CTA of the supraaortic arteries: Technical improvements with a novel dual source CT system. Eur J Radiol 2010; 76:e6-12. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ejrad.2009.09.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2009] [Revised: 09/14/2009] [Accepted: 09/18/2009] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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Rapalino O, Kamalian S, Gupta R, Phan C, Pomerantz S, Romero J, Joshi MC, Lev M. Neurological Applications. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2010. [DOI: 10.1007/174_2010_32] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/27/2023]
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U-King-Im JM, Fox AJ, Aviv RI, Howard P, Yeung R, Moody AR, Symons SP. Characterization of carotid plaque hemorrhage: a CT angiography and MR intraplaque hemorrhage study. Stroke 2010; 41:1623-9. [PMID: 20576955 DOI: 10.1161/strokeaha.110.579474] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The main objective of this study was to evaluate CT angiographic (CTA) features that are able to predict the presence of intraplaque hemorrhage (IPH) as defined by MR-IPH. METHODS One hundred sixty-seven consecutive patients (mean age 69 years, SD 12.8; 58 females) underwent both MR-IPH and CTA within 3 weeks. MR-IPH, the gold standard, was performed at 1.5 T using a neurovascular phased-array coil as a coronal T1-weighted 3-dimensional fat-suppressed acquisition. CTA was performed using a 4-slice or a 64-slice CT machine and evaluated, blinded to MR-IPH findings, for carotid stenosis, plaque density, and plaque ulceration. Plaque density was defined as the mean attenuation of plaque at the site of maximum stenosis and 2 sections above and below. Plaque ulceration was defined as outpouching of contrast into the plaque at least 2 mm deep on any single plane. RESULTS Prevalence of IPH increased at higher degrees of carotid stenosis. Mean CT plaque density was higher for plaques with MRI-defined IPH (47 Hounsfield units) compared with without IPH (43 Hounsfield units; P=0.02). However, significant overlap between distributions of plaque densities limited the value of mean plaque density for prediction of IPH. CTA plaque ulceration had high sensitivity (80.0% to 91.4%), specificity (93.0% to 92.3%), positive predictive value (72.0% to 71.8%), and negative predictive value (95.0% to 97.9%) for prediction of IPH. Interobserver agreement for presence/absence of CTA plaque ulceration was excellent (kappa=0.80). CONCLUSIONS CTA plaque ulceration, but not mean CTA plaque density, was useful for prediction of IPH as defined by the MR-IPH technique.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean Marie U-King-Im
- Division of Neuroradiology, Department of Medical Imaging, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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