High-resolution MR Imaging of Human Atherosclerotic Femoral Arteries In Vivo: Validation with Intravascular Ultrasound

Reproducibility and Reliability of Atherosclerotic Plaque Volume Measurements in Peripheral Arterial Disease with Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance

“…Enthusiasm for the MR approach has already led to several studies evaluating atherosclerotic plaque progression in humans (15)(16)(17), but few studies have evaluated the utility of CMR in measuring plaque in the peripheral circulation among PAD. In the most rigorously performed study to date, 7 patients with peripheral arterial occlusive disease were examined by both high-resolution MR imaging and IVUS (12). The MR approach consisted of a three-dimensional time-of-flight sequence used to measure vessel wall parameters with an in-plane resolution of 0.78 × 0.49 mm 2 and slice thickness of 2 mm.…”

“…Because of the inherent limitations of lumenographic techniques in evaluating and assessing the extent of atheroma (10,11), novel approaches for directly evaluating the vessel wall are needed. Intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) is currently the diagnostic standard for plaque quantification, but the technique is expensive, invasive, and poorly suited for the peripheral circulation (12).…”

“…While CMR has been employed for measuring and characterizing plaque in the coronary (13,14), carotid (15,16), and aortic circulations (15)(16)(17), few studies have rigorously investigated its role in PAD (12,18). The goal of this study was to develop and refine a practical technique for quantifying plaque in the superficial femoral artery (SFA) of patients with mild to moderate PAD that would allow for determination of plaque burden and noninvasive, serial monitoring of plaque progression in patients treated with both established and novel therapies.…”

Peripheral Arterial Disease Assessment

“…In the most rigorously performed study to date, 7 patients with peripheral arterial occlusive disease were examined by both high-resolution MR imaging and IVUS. 34 The MR approach consisted of a 3-dimensional time-of-flight sequence used to measure vessel wall parameters with an inplane resolution of 0.78 × 0.49 mm 2 and slice thickness of 2 mm. High-resolution MR using this bright blood technique overestimated plaque area in the peripheral vessels compared with IVUS measurements.…”

The Interventional Radiologist’s Perspective on Lung Biopsy

“…According to the American College of Radiology and the Society for Interventional Radiology, an acceptable rate of diagnostic adequacy for lung biopsy is 85% [18,19]. Actual adequacy rates vary [20]; we routinely expect diagnostic results from about 95% of lung biopsies performed by interventional radiologists at our institution.…”