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Updated: Mar 13, 2026
Three-Dimensional Imaging of Aortic Tissues in Atherosclerosis
Published on: October 25, 2024
Characterization of atherosclerotic disease in thoracic aorta: A 3D, multicontrast vessel wall imaging study
Changwu Zhou1, Huiyu Qiao2, Le He2
1Center for Biomedical Imaging Research, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Tsinghua University School of Medicine, Beijing, China; Department of Radiology, The Second Clinical Medical College, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China.
Insights
Three dimensional multicontrast MRI effectively characterizes thoracic aortic plaque in the elderly. High prevalence of vulnerable plaques indicates a need for early screening of aortic lesions.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Imaging
- Radiology
- Atherosclerosis Research
Background:
- Thoracic aortic atherosclerosis is a significant health concern in the elderly.
- Characterizing plaque morphology is crucial for risk stratification.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate thoracic aortic plaque characteristics using 3D multicontrast MRI.
- To determine plaque prevalence and identify high-risk features like intraplaque hemorrhage/mural thrombus.
Main Methods:
- Recruited elderly subjects (≥60 years) for thoracic aorta imaging on a 3.0T MR scanner.
- Acquired multicontrast sequences to evaluate plaque burden (lumen area, wall area, wall thickness, NWI).
- Identified plaque presence, intraplaque hemorrhage (IPH)/mural thrombus (MT) across aortic segments (ascending, arch, descending).
Main Results:
- 83.3% of subjects had thoracic aortic plaques.
- Plaque prevalence was 5.4% (ascending aorta), 72.7% (aortic arch), and 71.2% (descending aorta).
- 21.2% of subjects exhibited IPH/MT, with higher prevalence in the aortic arch (13.6%) and descending aorta (12.1%).
Conclusions:
- 3D multicontrast MRI effectively characterizes atherosclerotic plaques in the thoracic aorta.
- High prevalence of plaques and vulnerable lesions in the elderly necessitates early screening for aortic vulnerable lesions.
Purpose:
To investigate the characteristics of plaque in the thoracic aorta using three dimensional multicontrast magnetic resonance imaging.
Materials And Methods:
Elderly subjects (≥60years) were recruited in this study. Thoracic aorta was imaged on a 3.0T MR scanner by acquiring multicontrast sequences. The plaque burden was evaluated by measuring lumen area, wall area, wall thickness, and normalized wall index. The presence or absence of plaque and intraplaque hemorrhage (IPH)/mural thrombus (MT) were identified. The characteristics of atherosclerosis among different thoracic aorta segments (AAO: ascending aorta; AOA: aortic arch, and DOA: descending aorta) were determined.
Results:
Of 66 recruited subjects (mean age 72.3±6.2years, 30 males), 55 (83.3%) had plaques in the thoracic aorta. The prevalence of plaque in AAO, AOA, and DAO was 5.4%, 72.7%, and 71.2%, respectively. In addition, 21.2% of subjects were found to have lesions with IPH/MT in the thoracic aorta. The prevalence of IPH/MT in segment of AAO, AOA and DAO was 0%, 13.6%, and 12.1%, respectively. The aortic wall showed the highest NWI in DAO (34.1%±4.8%), followed by AOA (31.2%±5%), and AAO (26.8%±3.3%) (p<0.001).
Conclusion:
Three dimensional multicontrast MR imaging is capable of characterizing atherosclerotic plaques in the thoracic aorta. The findings of high prevalence of plaques and the presence of high risk plaques in the thoracic aorta suggest early screening for aortic vulnerable lesions in the elderly.
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