An integrated automated analysis method for quantifying vessel stenosis and plaque burden from carotid MRI images:
Isabel M Adame1, Patrick J H de Koning, Boudewijn P F Lelieveldt
1Division of Image Processing, Department of Radiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Albinusdreef 2, PO Box 9600, 2300 RC Leiden, The Netherlands. I.M.Adame@lumc.nl
Background And Purpose:
We report the evaluation of a semiautomated method for in vivo assessment of the severity of carotid atherosclerosis with minimal user interaction that combines 3-dimensional contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography (CE-MRA) and vessel wall magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
Methods:
Lumen and outer-wall contours were automatically detected, and stenosis and plaque burden were estimated. The method was tested on 22 subjects (352 postcontrast, T1-weighted cross sections and 3-dimensional CE-MRA).
Results:
We observed good correlation with expert contours: lumen and outer-wall area (r=0.96) and the degree of stenosis (r=0.97).
Conclusions:
The fusion of MRA and MRI reduces user interaction and improves contour detection, providing reproducible parameters to assess the severity of atherosclerosis.
