MRI of atherosclerosis

The emergence of high-resolution, rapid imaging methods has enabled MRI to noninvasively image the fine internal structure of atherosclerotic artery walls. This capability has, in turn, captured the interest of clinicians, who see it as an opportunity to assess disease severity based on the characteristics of atherosclerotic lesions themselves, rather than only their effects on the vessel lumen. MRI of atherosclerosis thus has the potential to be used in medical treatment decisions or to assess the effects of experimental treatment options. Given this potential, a number of research groups have been investigating MRI of atherosclerosis in an effort to establish the ability of MRI to determine atherosclerotic plaque burden, detect plaque composition, and ultimately identify vulnerable plaque before it leads to a clinical event. In this review, the current state of the art is summarized for the three primary vessel targets: the carotid artery, the aorta, and the coronary arteries.