Magnetic resonance imaging features of vulnerable plaques in an atherosclerotic rabbit model

作     者：ZHAO Xue-cheng ZHAO Quan-ming MA Xiao-hai ZENG Cong-he FENG Ting-ting ZHAO Xin ZHANG Zhao-qi ZHANG Ming-duo ZHUANG Xu-cui 

作者机构：Department of Cardiology Beijing Anzhen Hospital Capital Medical University Beijing 100029 China Department of Radiology Beijing Anzhen Hospital Capital Medical University Beijing 100029 China 

出 版 物：《Chinese Medical Journal》 (中华医学杂志（英文版）)

年 卷 期：2013年第126卷第11期

页      面：2163-2167页

核心收录：

学科分类：1002[医学-临床医学] 100201[医学-内科学(含：心血管病、血液病、呼吸系病、消化系病、内分泌与代谢病、肾病、风湿病、传染病)] 10[医学] 

基　　金：This study is supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 30972810 and No. 81101173) 

主　　题：magnetic resonance imaging vulnerable plaques rabbits thrombus 

摘      要：Background Noninvasive detection of vulnerable plaque has a significant implication for prevention and treatment of atherosclerotic disea±ses. The aim of this study is to investigate the difference between vulnerable plaques and stable plaques in magnetic resonance （MR） images. Methods Atherosclerosis was induced in twenty male New Zealand white rabbits by high cholesterol diet and balloon injury of the abdominal aorta. After baseline （pre-triggering） MR imaging （MRI） scan, the rabbits underwent pharmaceutical triggering with Russell＇s viper venom and histamine to induce atherothrombosis, followed by another MRI scan 48 hours later （post-triggering）. Rabbits were euthanized to obtain pathological and histological data. The results of MRI were compared with those of pathology and histology. Results MRI showed that abdominal aorta of the rabbits had pathological change of atherosclerosis in different degrees. Seventy-five plaques were analysed, among which 14 had vulnerable thrombi and 61 stable. Thrombosis was identified in 7 of 11 rabbits by post-triggering MRI, the sensitivity and K value of MR in detection of vulnerable plaque was 71% and 0.803 （P 〈0.05）. MRI data significantly correlated with the histopathological data in fibrous cap thickness （t=0.749） plaque area （t=0.853）, lipid core area （r=0.900）. Compared with stable plaques, vulnerable plaques had a significantly thinner fibrous cap （（0.58±0.27） mm vs. （0.95±0.22） mm）, larger lipid core area （（7.56±2.78） mm2 vs. （3.29±1.75） mm2）, and a higher ratio of lipid core area/plaque area （（55±16）% vs. （27±17）%）, but plaque area was comparable in two groups on MRI. The ratio of lipid core area/plaque area was a strong predictor of vulnerable plaques. Conclusion MRI could distinguish vulnerable plaques from stable plaques in a rabbit model of atherothrombosis and may thus be useful as a noninvasive modality for detection of vulnerable plaques in humans.