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(Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology. 2007;27:649.)
© 2007 American Heart Association, Inc.

Atherosclerosis and Lipoproteins

The Prevalence and Quantification of Atherosclerosis in an Elderly Population Assessed by Whole-Body Magnetic Resonance Angiography

T. Hansen; J. Wikström; L.O. Johansson; L. Lind; H. Ahlström

From Institution of ORKI, Department of Radiology, Uppsala University Hospital, Uppsala, Sweden.

Correspondence to Tomas Hansen, Institution of ORKI, Department of Radiology, Uppsala University Hospital, SE-751 85 Uppsala, Sweden. E-mail tomas.hansen{at}akademiska.se

Objective— The principal aim of the present study was to explore the feasibility of using whole-body magnetic resonance angiography to assess atherosclerosis in different vascular territories in a cohort of elderly.

Methods and Results— Three hundred six 70-year-old subjects (145 women, 161 men) recruited from a population-based cohort study (Prospective Investigation of the Vasculature in Uppsala Seniors, ie, the PIVUS study) underwent 1.5-T whole-body magnetic resonance angiography with gadodiamide. The arteries were divided into 26 segments. In total, 7956 vessel segments were evaluated with 7900 segments (99.3%) possible to evaluate. Of these, 7186 segments (91%) were normal. Luminal narrowing of 50% was observed in 9 (1.5%) of the renal arteries, 12 (1.8%) of the carotid arteries, in 31 segments (1.1%) of the pelvic/upper leg territories, and in 136 segments (6.2%) of territories in the lower leg. Approximately one-third of the sample had no vascular abnormalities, one-third had stenoses of <50%, and the remainder had stenoses 50% or occlusions. Six subjects (2%) had aortic aneurysms. In subjects without evident vascular disease, 26% had significant vascular abnormalities.

Conclusions— Whole-body magnetic resonance angiography performed with a clinical scanner can be used for quantifying atherosclerosis in different vascular territories in a single examination in an elderly population.

Whole-body MRA, a minimally invasive, nonradiation technique, was used in a large cohort of elderly citizens and could be used in an epidemiological setting for quantifying atherosclerosis in different vascular territories, excluding the coronary arteries, in a single examination.

Key Words: atherosclerosis • cardiovascular diseases • epidemiology • MRI • population

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