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Classifications of atherosclerotic plaque components with T1 and T2* mapping in 11.7 T MRI

Truong, My LU orcid ; Lennartsson, Finn LU ; Bibic, Adnan LU ; Sundius, Lena LU ; Persson, Ana LU ; Siemund, Roger LU ; In't Zandt, René LU orcid ; Goncalves, Isabel LU orcid and Wassélius, Johan LU (2021) In European Journal of Radiology Open 8. p.100323-100323
Abstract

Background and aims: Histopathology is the gold standard for analysis of atherosclerotic plaques but has drawbacks due to the destructive nature of the method. Ex vivo MRI is a non-destructive method to image whole plaques. Our aim was to use quantitative high field ex vivo MRI to classify plaque components, with histology as gold standard.

Methods: Surgically resected carotid plaques from 12 patients with recent TIA or stroke were imaged at 11.7 T MRI. Quantitative T1/T2* mapping sequences and qualitative T1/T2* gradient echo sequences with voxel size of 30 × 30 × 60 μm3 were obtained prior to histological preparation, sectioning and staining for lipids, inflammation, hemorrhage, and fibrous tissue. Regions of interest (ROI) were... (More)

Background and aims: Histopathology is the gold standard for analysis of atherosclerotic plaques but has drawbacks due to the destructive nature of the method. Ex vivo MRI is a non-destructive method to image whole plaques. Our aim was to use quantitative high field ex vivo MRI to classify plaque components, with histology as gold standard.

Methods: Surgically resected carotid plaques from 12 patients with recent TIA or stroke were imaged at 11.7 T MRI. Quantitative T1/T2* mapping sequences and qualitative T1/T2* gradient echo sequences with voxel size of 30 × 30 × 60 μm3 were obtained prior to histological preparation, sectioning and staining for lipids, inflammation, hemorrhage, and fibrous tissue. Regions of interest (ROI) were selected based on the histological staining at multiple levels matched between histology and MRI. The MRI parameters of each ROI were then analyzed with quadratic discriminant analysis (QDA) for classification.

Results: A total of 965 ROIs, at 70 levels matched between histology and MRI, were registered based on histological staining. In the nine plaques where three or more plaque components were possible to co-localize with MRI, the mean degree of misclassification by QDA was 16.5 %. One of the plaques contained mostly fibrous tissue and lipids and had no misclassifications, and two plaques mostly contained fibrous tissue. QDA generally showed good classification for fibrous tissue and lipids, whereas plaques with hemorrhage and inflammation had more misclassifications.

Conclusion: 11.7 T ex vivo high field MRI shows good visual agreement with histology in carotid plaques. T1/T2* maps analyzed with QDA is a promising non-destructive method to classify plaque components, but with a higher degree of misclassifications in plaques with hemorrhage or inflammation.

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author
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organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
European Journal of Radiology Open
volume
8
pages
100323 - 100323
publisher
Elsevier
external identifiers
  • pmid:33532518
  • scopus:85099626517
ISSN
2352-0477
DOI
10.1016/j.ejro.2021.100323
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
846cca7c-b347-426c-9bb0-f349aba8dfd7
date added to LUP
2021-03-07 14:50:28
date last changed
2024-09-19 17:19:42
@article{846cca7c-b347-426c-9bb0-f349aba8dfd7,
  abstract     = {{<p>Background and aims: Histopathology is the gold standard for analysis of atherosclerotic plaques but has drawbacks due to the destructive nature of the method. Ex vivo MRI is a non-destructive method to image whole plaques. Our aim was to use quantitative high field ex vivo MRI to classify plaque components, with histology as gold standard.</p><p>Methods: Surgically resected carotid plaques from 12 patients with recent TIA or stroke were imaged at 11.7 T MRI. Quantitative T1/T2* mapping sequences and qualitative T1/T2* gradient echo sequences with voxel size of 30 × 30 × 60 μm3 were obtained prior to histological preparation, sectioning and staining for lipids, inflammation, hemorrhage, and fibrous tissue. Regions of interest (ROI) were selected based on the histological staining at multiple levels matched between histology and MRI. The MRI parameters of each ROI were then analyzed with quadratic discriminant analysis (QDA) for classification.</p><p>Results: A total of 965 ROIs, at 70 levels matched between histology and MRI, were registered based on histological staining. In the nine plaques where three or more plaque components were possible to co-localize with MRI, the mean degree of misclassification by QDA was 16.5 %. One of the plaques contained mostly fibrous tissue and lipids and had no misclassifications, and two plaques mostly contained fibrous tissue. QDA generally showed good classification for fibrous tissue and lipids, whereas plaques with hemorrhage and inflammation had more misclassifications.</p><p>Conclusion: 11.7 T ex vivo high field MRI shows good visual agreement with histology in carotid plaques. T1/T2* maps analyzed with QDA is a promising non-destructive method to classify plaque components, but with a higher degree of misclassifications in plaques with hemorrhage or inflammation.</p>}},
  author       = {{Truong, My and Lennartsson, Finn and Bibic, Adnan and Sundius, Lena and Persson, Ana and Siemund, Roger and In't Zandt, René and Goncalves, Isabel and Wassélius, Johan}},
  issn         = {{2352-0477}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  pages        = {{100323--100323}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{European Journal of Radiology Open}},
  title        = {{Classifications of atherosclerotic plaque components with T1 and T2* mapping in 11.7 T MRI}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ejro.2021.100323}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/j.ejro.2021.100323}},
  volume       = {{8}},
  year         = {{2021}},
}