Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Coronary Vessel Wall

Despite advances in prevention and treatment, clinical manifestations of atherosclerosis (e.g. myocardial infarction, stroke) remain the largest cause of mortality in the Western world. The occurrence of acute ischemic syndromes, including unstable angina and myocardial infarction, is highly associated with atherosclerotic plaque morphology.

Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging is able to noninvasively depict the lumen of coronary arteries without the need for ionizing radiation. In addition, MR imaging is able to generate soft-tissue contrast unlike any other imaging modality. It has been shown in the aorta and carotid artery that MR imaging is able to identify different atherosclerotic plaque components in vivo. Similar MR imaging techniques are becoming available to visualize the coronary arterial wall and preliminary studies have shown the feasibility of MR coronary vessel wall imaging in humans.

The overall aim of the current study is to identify in vivo MR coronary vessel wall and plaque features that are associated with acute coronary syndromes. This study is divided into 2 substudies:

1. Detection of atherosclerosis in the coronary vessel wall with contrast-enhanced MR imaging in patients with coronary artery disease and age-matched healthy volunteers.
2. Characterization of coronary vessel wall plaque morphology in patients with stable and unstable angina: validation of MRI with the current standard of reference intravascular ultrasound (IVUS).