on April 25, 2002
Published online before print April 25, 2002, doi: 10.1161/01.ATV.0000019735.54479.2F
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Submitted on February 22, 2002
Accepted on April 11, 2002
MRI and Characterization of Atherosclerotic Plaque. Emerging Applications and Molecular Imaging
Robin P. Choudhury ;
From the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine (R.P.C.), University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, UK, and The Zena and Michael A. Wiener Cardiovascular Institute (V.F., J.J.B., E.A.F., Z.A.F.), Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY.
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: zahi.fayad{at}mssm.edu.
Abstract—Noninvasive high-resolution magnetic resonance has the potential to image atherosclerotic plaque and to determine its composition and microanatomy. This review summarizes the rationale for plaque imaging and describes the characteristics of plaque by use of existing MRI techniques. The use of MRI in human disease and in animal models, particularly in rabbits and mice, is presented. Present and future applications of MRI, including real-time vascular intervention, new contrast agents, and molecular imaging, are also discussed.
Key words: MRI • atherosclerosis • plaque • contrast arteriography • molecular imaging • mice