Quantitative study of atherosclerotic plaque morphology of human carotid artery using MR imaging

Accurate assessment of atherosclerotic burden and morphological characterization of individual lesions would allow identification of unstable plaques that are at risk of rupturing and causing acute ischemic events. To accomplish this assessment, we have been testing quantitative measurement techniques on high-resolution MR images, acquired at the human atherosclerotic carotid arteries. These techniques were aimed at measuring plaque area (volume), plaque thickness, lesion complexity, and lesion index.