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Intravascular MRI for Plaque Characterization: Are We Close to Reality?

  • Cardiac PET, CT, and MRI (SE Petersen and F Pugliese, Section Editors)
  • Published:
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Abstract

Non-invasive external magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of large vessel atherosclerosis is a robust and promising imaging modality that can be applied for the evaluation of the atherosclerotic process in large vessels. However, it requires expertise for setup and time for data acquisition and analysis. Intravascular MRI is a promising tool, but its use remains at the pre-clinical stage within selected research groups. In this review, the current status and future role of intravascular MRI for atherosclerotic plaque characterization are summarized, along with important challenges which will be necessary to overcome prior to the wide adoption of this technique.

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Abbreviations

3T:

3.0 Tesla Magnetic Field Strength

CT:

Computed tomography

IVMRI:

Intravascular magnetic resonance imaging

IVUS:

Intravascular coronary ultrasound

MACE:

Major cardiovascular events

MRI:

Magnetic resonance imaging

OCT:

Optical coherence tomography

SNR:

Signal-to-noise ratio

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, UPMC Heart & Vascular Institute, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

    João L. Cavalcante

  2. Faculté de médecine, Université Laval, Quebec, Quebec, Canada

    Eric Larose

  3. Centre de recherche de l’Institut universitaire de cardiologie et de pneumologie de Québec - Université Laval, 2725 chemin Sainte-Foy, Quebec, Quebec, G1V 4G5, Canada

    Eric Larose

Authors
  1. João L. Cavalcante
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  2. Eric Larose
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Correspondence to Eric Larose.

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João L. Cavalcante and Eric Larose declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Human and Animal Rights and Informed Consent

This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Cardiac PET, CT, and MRI

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Cavalcante, J.L., Larose, E. Intravascular MRI for Plaque Characterization: Are We Close to Reality?. Curr Cardiol Rep 18, 89 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11886-016-0766-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11886-016-0766-1

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