Tomographic (plaque) imaging: state of the art

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular imaging
• Medical diagnostics
• Radiology

Background:

• Coronary artery plaque disease involves inflammation and repair.
• Noninvasive imaging modalities like CT and MRI can visualize coronary plaques.
• Calcium imaging is established with CT, while MRI shows potential for plaque composition analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the capabilities of CT and MRI for noninvasive coronary artery plaque imaging.
• To compare electron-beam CT (EBCT) with mechanical CT for calcium quantitation.
• To highlight the potential and limitations of MRI in assessing plaque components.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing literature on CT and MRI for coronary plaque imaging.
• Comparison of EBCT and mechanical CT performance in calcium scoring.
• Discussion of MRI's potential for plaque composition analysis.

Main Results:

• CT can image coronary artery calcium, with EBCT validated for quantitation.
• Mechanical CT has limitations in low plaque volume and higher radiation exposure compared to EBCT.
• MRI shows promise for plaque composition but requires further investigation in coronary arteries.

Conclusions:

• Noninvasive coronary plaque imaging is feasible with CT and MRI.
• EBCT offers advantages over mechanical CT for calcium scoring.
• Further research and standardization are crucial for widespread MRI utilization in plaque imaging.