Techniques for noninvasive molecular imaging of atherosclerotic plaque

Noninvasive imaging of focal atherosclerotic lesions using fluorescence molecular tomography.

Insights into the etiology of stroke and myocardial infarction suggest that rupture of unstable atherosclerotic plaque is the precipitating event. Clinicians lack tools to detect lesion instability early enough to intervene, and are often left to manage patients empirically, or worse, after plaque rupture. Noninvasive imaging of the molecular events signaling prerupture plaque progression has t...

The vulnerable, or high-risk, atherosclerotic plaque: noninvasive MR imaging for characterization and assessment.

"Vulnerable" plaques are atherosclerotic plaques that have a high likelihood to cause thrombotic complications, such as myocardial infarction or stroke. Plaques that tend to progress rapidly are also considered to be vulnerable. Besides luminal stenosis, plaque composition and morphology are key determinants of the likelihood that a plaque will cause cardiovascular events. Noninvasive magnetic ...

Noninvasive Imaging of Atherosclerotic Plaque Progression: Status of Coronary Computed Tomography Angiography.

The process of coronary artery disease progression is infrequently visualized. Intravascular ultrasound has been used to gain important insights but is invasive and therefore limited to high-risk patients. For low-to-moderate risk patients, noninvasive methods may be useful to quantitatively monitor plaque progression or regression and to understand and personalize atherosclerosis therapy. This...

Noninvasive detection of macrophage-rich atherosclerotic plaque in hyperlipidemic rabbits using "positive contrast" magnetic resonance imaging.

OBJECTIVES This study was designed to identify macrophage-rich atherosclerotic plaque noninvasively by imaging the tissue uptake of long-circulating superparamagnetic nanoparticles with a positive contrast off-resonance imaging sequence (inversion recovery with ON-resonant water suppression [IRON]). BACKGROUND The sudden rupture of macrophage-rich atherosclerotic plaques can trigger the forma...

Imaging of the Vulnerable Atherosclerotic Plaque