Accuracy of MRI to identify the coronary artery plaque: a comparative study with intravascular ultrasound

To evaluate the ability of black-blood coronary arterial wall MRI to identify the coronary artery plaque, using intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) as the golden standard.

Nineteen consecutive patients underwent IVUS and coronary artery wall MRI. Cross-sectional images were acquired on the lesion of coronary artery from the ostium to the middle segment continuously. The vessel cross-sectional area (CSA), luminal CSA, plaque burden, contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) were measured in each slice which was then compared with the IVUS images.

Sixteen of 19 patients completed coronary artery MRA and wall imaging. 41 of 67 slices were found plaques on both IVUS and MRI; The maximal wall thickness, plaque burden, SNR, CNR in the coronary wall containing plaque were greater compared with the normal coronary wall (1.70 ± 0.51 versus 1.24 ± 0.24; 0.71 ± 0.13 versus 0.59 ± 0.12; 1.86 ± 0.41 versus 1.47 ± 0.23; 5.10 ± 2.21 versus 2.99 ± 1.17; respectively, P < 0.05). The matched MRI and IVUS showed good correlation for vessel CSA (16.77 ± 10.67 versus 16.97 ± 8.36; r = 0.79; P < 0.01), luminal CSA (5.18 ± 5.01 versus 7.13 ± 5.14; r = 0.88; P < 0.01), plaque burden (0.71 ± 0.13 versus 0.59 ± 0.15; r = 0.67; P < 0.01). in segments containing plaques, especially the luminal CSA were strongly correlated.

MRI coronary artery wall imaging can identify coronary plaque in the proximal segments. It also has the potential to assess coronary artery size.