High resolution MR imaging in measurement of vascular wall area in atherosclerotic carotid artery: assessment of reproducibility / 第二军医大学学报

ABSTRACT

Objective: To assess the reproducibility of high resolution MR imaging(MRI) in measuring the vascular wall area in atherosclerotic carotid artery. Methods: Twenty four subjects (male 18, female 6, aged 60 78 years) with 50% 79% stenosis (confirmed by Doppler ultrasound) were recruited for the study. Two independent MRI examination were conducted within 2 weeks using high resolution imaging on a 1.5 T scanner (Signa, GE Medical Systems). Three slices were selected (4 mm distal to the bifurcation, just under the bifurcation and 4 mm proximal to the bifurcation) from the bilateral carotid artery to measure the luminal, outer wall boundary and wall area. The above process was done by 2 observers blinded to each other's results. The Interscan and Interobserver variations were assessed by paired Student's t test. Results: There was no significant difference in lumen, outer wall boundary and wall area measurement for both Interscan and Interobserver comparison. Conclusion: High resolution MRI of the human carotid artery in measuring the vessel lumen and wall areas has high reproducibility. MRI can also be used to monitor the progression of atherosclerotic plaque of carotid artery.