Molecular imaging in cardiovascular diseases.

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular imaging
• Molecular imaging
• Biomedical engineering

Background:

• Cardiovascular diseases are a leading cause of death globally.
• Identifying vulnerable atherosclerotic plaques non-invasively remains a clinical challenge.
• Current imaging methods assess luminal narrowing but cannot differentiate plaque stability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the development of arterial wall changes in atherosclerosis.
• To discuss contrast-enhanced imaging principles using non-specific agents and molecular probes.
• To introduce the latest advancements in molecular imaging of the vascular wall.

Main Methods:

• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) offers high spatial resolution and soft tissue contrast for arterial wall evaluation.
• Native MRI can differentiate and characterize atherosclerotic plaque components.
• Molecular probes target specific molecules for high-resolution visualization of pathological processes.

Main Results:

• Native MRI of the vessel wall aids in characterizing atherosclerotic plaques in carotid arteries and the aorta.
• Non-specific MRI contrast agents provide additional diagnostic information.
• Targeted molecular probes enable visualization of pathological processes at a molecular level.

Conclusions:

• Molecular MRI holds significant potential for enhancing in vivo characterization of atherosclerotic plaques.
• Molecular information can improve the differentiation between stable and unstable (vulnerable) plaques.