Carotid Artery Disease and Stroke: Assessing Risk with Vessel Wall MRI

Figure 5

Example of multicontrast MRI characterization of carotid plaque composition showing (a) T1-weighted, (b) T2-weighted, and (c) time-of-flight images of the carotid artery. Automated segmentation with MEPPS [78] yields (d) a color-coded map indicating locations of calcification (CA), necrotic core (NC), loose matrix (LM), and hemorrhage (HM). Combination of results from cross-sections spanning the length of the plaque produce (e) a 3D rendering of the plaque components relative to the angiographic view of the carotid bifurcation (rendered with MRI-PlaqueView, VPDiagnostics Inc., Seattle, WA).