Quantifying Intracranial Plaque Permeability with Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced MRI: A Pilot Study

• DOI: 10.3174/ajnr.a4998
• Publication Date: 2016-11-17T22:50:29Z
• Authors: P. Vakil; A.H. Elmokadem; F.H. Syed; C.G. Cantrell; F.H. Dehkordi; T.J. Carroll; S.A. Ansari
• Keywords: Contrast Enhancement; Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced MRI

Intracranial atherosclerotic disease plaque hyperintensity and/or gadolinium contrast enhancement have been studied as imaging biomarkers of acutely symptomatic ischemic presentations using single static MR measurements. However, the value in modeling dynamics intracranial permeability has yet to be evaluated. The purpose this study was use dynamic contrast-enhanced quantify plaques patients and compare these parameters against existing markers volatility black-blood pulse sequences.We performed a prospective uptake major vessels proximal immediately distal circle Willis imaging, specifically with disease. Using Modified Tofts model, we extracted volume transfer constant (Ktrans) fractional plasma (Vp) from plaque-enhancement curves. regression analyses, compared time symptom onset well intraplaque postcontrast derived T1 SPACE, vessel wall sequence.We completed analysis 10 presenting Ktrans Vp measurements were higher versus healthy white matter similar or less than values choroid plexus. Only correlated significantly (P = .02). Dynamic not found correlate .4 P .17, respectively).Elevated suggest that is feasible technique for studying characteristics vasculature. Significant correlations between onset, which observed on SPACE-derived metrics, may an independent biomarker acute symptom-associated pathologic changes plaques.