We present a three-dimensional coupled surface graph cut algorithm for carotid wall segmentation from Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). Using cost functions that highlight both inner and outer vessel wall borders, the method combines the search for both borders into a single graph cut. Our approach requires little user interaction and can robustly segment the bifurcation section of the carotid ...

BACKGROUND The composition of atherosclerotic plaque affects the likelihood of an atherothrombotic event, but prospective studies relating risk factors to carotid wall and plaque characteristics measured by MRI are lacking. We hypothesized that traditional risk factors are predictors of carotid wall and plaque characteristics measured 2 decades later. METHODS AND RESULTS A high-resolution con...

Carotid artery stenting (CAS) is emerged as a safe and cost-effective treatment of carotid artery (CA) stenosis [1]. However the long-term efficacy of CAS is under clinical evaluation and, in particular, the role of in-stent restenosis (ISR) is not clear. More data and dedicated studies are necessary to elucidate the mechanisms of ISR and their relation with the novel carotid stent designs. Exp...

BACKGROUND This study was designed to investigate the effects of lipid-lowering by simvastatin on human atherosclerotic lesions. METHODS AND RESULTS Eighteen asymptomatic hypercholesterolemic patients with documented aortic and/or carotid atherosclerotic plaques were selected for the study. A total of 35 aortic and 25 carotid artery plaques were detected. Serial black-blood MRI of the aorta a...

BACKGROUND Carotid atherosclerotic plaque rupture is an important source of ischemic stroke. However, the prevalence of high-risk plaque (HRP) defined as plaques with luminal surface disruption, a lipid-rich necrotic core occupying >40% of the wall, or intraplaque hemorrhage in Chinese population remains unclear. This study uses carotid magnetic resonance imaging (CMRI) to investigate HRP preva...

In CKD, large arteries remodel and become increasingly stiff. The greater pulsatile pressure reaching the glomerulus as a result of increased aortic stiffness could induce renal damage, suggesting that the stiffening and remodeling of large arteries could affect the progression of CKD. We measured carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity, aortic pressure and carotid remodeling and stiffness paramete...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Lumen geometry has long been suspected as a risk factor for atherosclerosis by virtue of its influence on blood flow disturbances. Confirmation of this geometric risk hypothesis has, however, proved challenging owing to possible effects of wall thickening on geometry and unproven links between candidate geometric variables and disturbed flow. The purpose of this study was...

BACKGROUND Local pulse pressure (PP) is an independent determinant of carotid artery wall thickness, stronger than mean blood pressure (BP). The present study was designed to assess whether a beta-adrenoceptor antagonist-based or an ACE inhibitor-based treatment was able to reduce carotid artery wall hypertrophy through a reduction in carotid PP rather than by lowering mean BP and whether the i...

BACKGROUND Many studies have demonstrated that the geometry of the carotid bifurcation enables prediction of blood flow variation associated with atherosclerotic plaque formation. The phase angle between the arterial wall circumferential strain and its instantaneous wall shear stress is known as stress phase angle (SPA). This parameter is used to evaluate hemodynamic factors of atherogenesis. N...

Several recent results obtained in hypertensive animals and subjects under in vivo isobaric conditions do not confirm the classic view of stiffer arteries in hypertensive subjects. We compared the mechanical behavior of in situ isolated common carotid arteries from normotensive Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY) and age-matched spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) under both static and dynamic conditions...