Abstract
Objectives
To investigate the usefulness of Simultaneous Non-contrast Angiography and intraPlaque haemorrhage (SNAP) imaging in characterising carotid intraplaque haemorrhage (IPH) compared with magnetisation-prepared rapid acquisition gradient-echo (MP-RAGE) sequence.
Methods
Fifty-four symptomatic patients (mean age: 63.1 ± 5.7 years, 38 males) with carotid atherosclerosis were recruited and underwent carotid MR imaging. The presence and area of IPH on SNAP and MP-RAGE images were determined. The agreement in identifying IPH and its area between SNAP and MP-RAGE was analysed.
Results
Of 1368 slices with acceptable image quality in 54 patients, 13% and 22.6% were found to have IPH on MP-RAGE and SNAP images, respectively. There was moderate agreement between MP-RAGE and SNAP sequences in identifying IPH (κ = 0.511, p = 0.029). The area of IPH on SNAP images was significantly larger than that on MP-RAGE images (17.9 ± 18.2 mm2 vs. 9.2 ± 10.5 mm2, p < 0.001). For IPHs detected by SNAP imaging, the area of IPHs also detected by the MP-RAGE sequence was significantly larger than that of IPHs not detected by the MP-RAGE sequence (17.9 ± 19.2 mm2 vs. 6.4 ± 6.2 mm2, p < 0.001).
Conclusion
Compared with the MP-RAGE sequence, SNAP imaging detects more IPHs, particularly for smaller IPHs, suggesting that SNAP imaging might be a more sensitive tool for identification of carotid haemorrhagic plaques.
Key Points
• Moderate agreement was found between SNAP and MP-RAGE in identification of IPH
• SNAP imaging might be a more sensitive tool to detect carotid IPHs
• Compared with the MP-RAGE sequence, SNAP imaging can detect carotid IPHs with smaller size
• SNAP imaging can help clinicians to optimise the treatment strategy
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Abbreviations
- IPH:
-
intraplaque haemorrhage
- MP-RAGE:
-
Magnetisation-prepared rapid acquisition gradient-echo
- SNAP:
-
Simultaneous non-contrast angiography and intraplaque haemorrhage
- MR:
-
Magnetic resonance
- MRA:
-
Magnetic resonance angiography
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Funding
This study is funded by the grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (81771825, 81361120402) and Beijing Municipal Science and Technology Project (D131100002313002).
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The scientific guarantor of this publication is Xihai Zhao MD, PhD.
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The authors of this manuscript declare no relationships with any companies, whose products or services may be related to the subject matter of the article.
Statistics and biometry
No complex statistical methods were necessary for this paper.
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Written informed consent was obtained from all subjects (patients) in this study.
Methodology
• Retrospective
• Observational
• Performed at one institution
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Li, D., Zhao, H., Chen, X. et al. Identification of intraplaque haemorrhage in carotid artery by simultaneous non-contrast angiography and intraPlaque haemorrhage (SNAP) imaging: a magnetic resonance vessel wall imaging study. Eur Radiol 28, 1681–1686 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-017-5096-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-017-5096-1