Magnetic resonance imaging

Abstract

Much has changed in the field of atherosclerotic plaque imaging since the publication of ‘Handbook of the Vulnerable Plaque’.1 The accuracy and reproducibility of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for assessing atherosclerotic lesion size and composition has been previously reviewed.2-13 This chapter reviews key recent advances in vulnerable plaque imaging, integration of imaging with hemodynamic and tissue mechanical property studies, and the use of imaging as a biomarker. This review focuses on MR imaging used for the human carotid, aorta, and coronary arteries, and concludes with a discussion of the present and future status of MR plaque imaging.