Carotid plaque characteristics detected with 3.0T high resolution nuclear magnetic resonance imaging in patients with coronary artery disease / 中华心血管病杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To assess the value of detecting the compositional features of carotid atherosclerotic plaques by 3.0T high resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Consecutive 104 patients with coronary atherosclerosis confirmed by coronary angiography were prospectively recruited from January 2013 to January 2015 in Tiantan hospital. All patients were imaged with 3.0T high resolution MRI system. After exclusion patients with poor image quality, 97 patients were divided into 3 groups according to the degree of coronary artery stenosis: coronary atherosclerosis group (coronary stenosis between 1%-49%, n=16); single-vessel lesion group (single vessel lesion with stenosis between 50%-100%, n=48); multi-vessel lesion group (two or three vessel lesions with stenosis between 50%-100% or left main stem disease, n=33). The prevalence of total carotid plaque, calcified plaque, lipid-rich necrotic core, intra-plaque hemorrhage, plaque ulcer and rupture were compared among 3 groups.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The prevalence of total carotid plaque (81.3%(13/16), 72.9%(35/48), and 93.9%(31/33)) and calcified plaque (50.0%(8/16), 35.4%(17/48), and 42.4%(14/33)) were similar among the 3 groups (both P>0.05). The prevalence of carotid lipid-rich necrotic core in coronary atherosclerosis group was significantly lower than in single-vessel lesion group (18.8%(3/16) vs. 64.6%(31/48), P<0.01) and multi-vessel lesion group(18.8%(3/16) vs. 69.7%(23/33), P<0.01), but there was no significant difference between single-vessel lesion group and multi-vessel lesion group(P>0.05). Intra-plaque hemorrhage was detected in 2 patients of multi-vessel lesion group. There was no plaque ulcer or rupture in this cohort.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Carotid plaque features are associated with the severity of coronary atherosclerosis in CAD patients.</p>

MR diffusion weighted imaging in evaluating bone mineral density:a pilot study / 中华放射学杂志

Objective To investigate the correlation between vertebral diffusion weigllted imaging (DWI)and dual X-ray absorptiometry(DXA),quantitative computed tomography(QCT)for the evaluation of bone mineral density(BMD).Methods A total of 152 female volunteers[aged from 30 to 80 years,mean age(58.2±14.2)years 1 were recruited in this study.All subjects underwent lateral thoracicolumbar radiographs,dual X-ray absorptiometry(DXA)and quantitative computed tomography(QCT),as well as DWI examination.Lateral spine radiographs(T4-L4)were evaluated with Genant's semiquantitative assessment.BMD was obtained by both DXA and QCT at lumbar spine(L2-L4).Axial vertebral(L2-4)DWI was performed with single shot spin-echo echo-planar imaging(SS-SE-EPI)sequenee (b value=500 s/mm2)after routine MRI examination(saginal T2 WI,T1 WI and axial T2 WI).Apparent diffusion coefficient(ADC)was measured with GE-Functool DWI software.Pearson correlation analysis was used for the statistics.Results There was a decreasing tendency in ADC value with age.A positive correlation was found between ADC(0.241×10-3 mm2/s)and BMD results measured by both DXA (1.038 S/cm3)and QCT(104.2 mg/cm3)examinations(r=0.461,0.731,respectively,P＜0.01).Conclusion DWI is an useful tool for noninvasive evaluation of the pathophysiologic changes of bone marrow in volunteers with difierent bone mineral density.