MRI of coronary artery atherosclerosis in rabbits: Histopathology-MRI correlation and atheroma characterization

Thrombosis Journal

Ram B Singh¹  Rakesh Sharma² 

[1] Heart Research Medical Center, Moradabad 14107, UP, India;Department of Medicine, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032 USA

关键词: MRI;    Atherosclerosis;    Coronary;    Plaque;    Thrombosis;   

Others  :  839928
DOI  :  10.1186/1477-9560-2-5

 received in 2003-12-31, accepted in 2004-05-15,  发布年份 2004

【 摘 要 】

Background and objectives

We report in vivo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) characteristics and histopathology correlation of the thrombus formation in atherosclerosis the rabbit animal model.

Design and methods

Atherosclerosis was induced in white male rabbits with vegetable ghee followed oxidized diet. Baseline MRI of atherosclerosis-recruited rabbits was done and later animals were used for atheroma histopathology characterization. Contiguous cross-sectional T2-weighted fast spin echo MRI images were compared by coronary histopathology. In all animals, coronary aortic wall thickening and atheroma size was measured using MRI.

Results

MRI images and digitized histological sections confirmed intraluminal thrombus in 6 (67%) of the 9 animals. MRI data showed correlation with the histopathology for aortic wall thickness (R² = 0.82, P < 0.0001), lumen area (R² = 0.88, P < 0.0001) and plaque size (R² = 0.77, P < 0.0001). Optimized TE and TR parameters and multicontrast enhancement generated better MRI visibility of vulnerable plaque components. The MRI data evaluated % stenosis, plaque burden. Frequency of plaques, plaque height in aorta and coronary artery atheroma was also assessed by histology. In vivo, MRI determined the presence and size of the thrombus in this animal model of atherosclerosis and histopathology defined the plaque disruption.

Conclusion

The combination of in vivo MRI and comparison with histopathology images of rabbit coronary thrombus may be a research tool for understanding of the pathogenesis of acute coronary plaques.

【 授权许可】

   
2004 Sharma and Singh; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article: verbatim copying and redistribution of this article are permitted in all media for any purpose, provided this notice is preserved along with the article's original URL.

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