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Imaging of Carotid Atherosclerosis

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Neurovascular Imaging

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Abstract

Growing interest in the in vivo characterization of plaque pathology has furthered the development of vessel wall imaging approaches beyond traditional techniques of luminal imaging. By leveraging histopathological information from carotid endarterectomy specimens, magnetic resonance imaging has been proven capable of providing qualitative and quantitative information on a number of morphological and pathological features of carotid atherosclerosis, including fibrous cap and necrotic core, intraplaque hemorrhage, plaque neovascularization, and inflammation. These technical advancements present new opportunities to expand the understanding of the pathophysiology of ischemic stroke and devise more efficient diagnostic and prognostic tools to address contemporary clinical problems in the management of carotid atherosclerosis. From a clinical perspective, this article introduces the various magnetic resonance techniques for carotid atherosclerosis imaging. The background and pathological basis of direct plaque imaging in carotid arteries are discussed, followed by available solutions and key technical considerations, as well as promising applications that have arisen from these techniques.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology, University of Washington, 850 Republican St, Seattle, WA, 98109-4725, USA

    Jie Sun, Niranjan Balu & Chun Yuan

Authors
  1. Jie Sun
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  2. Niranjan Balu
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  3. Chun Yuan
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Correspondence to Chun Yuan .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology, AOU of Cagliari, Monserrato, Cagliari, Italy

    Luca Saba

  2. Neurointerventional Radiology Section, Department of Radiology, NYU Langone Medical Center, New York, NY, USA

    Eytan Raz

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Sun, J., Balu, N., Yuan, C. (2016). Imaging of Carotid Atherosclerosis. In: Saba, L., Raz, E. (eds) Neurovascular Imaging. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-9029-6_34

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-9029-6_34

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