Non-invasive assessment of intracranial wall shear stress using high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging in combination with computational fluid dynamics technique

In vivo studies on association between wall shear stress (WSS) and intracranial plaque are deficient. Based on the three-dimensional T1-weighted high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (3DT1 HR-MRI) data of patients with low-grade stenotic (<50%) atherosclerotic middle cerebral artery (MCA) and subjects with normal MCA, we built a three-dimensional reconstructed WSS model by computational fluid dynamics (CFD) technique. Three-dimensional registration of the CFD model to the HR-MRI was performed with projections based on the resolution and thickness of the images. The relationships between the WSS at each side of the vessel wall and plaque location were analyzed. A total of 94 MCA plaques from 43 patients and 50 normal MCAs were analyzed. In the normal MCAs, WSS was lower at the ventral-inferior wall than at the dorsal-superior wall (proximal segment, p < 0.001; middle segment, p < 0.001) and lower at the inner wall than at the outer wall of the MCA curve (p < 0.001). In atherosclerotic MCAs, similar low WSS regions were observed where plaques developed. The WSS ratio of the ventral-inferior wall to the dorsal-superior wall in atherosclerotic MCAs was lower than that in normal MCAs (p = 0.002). The WSSinner-outer ratio in atherosclerotic MCAs was lower than that in normal MCAs (p = 0.002). Low WSS was associated with MCA atherosclerosis formation and occurred mainly at the ventral-inferior wall, which was anatomically opposite the orifices of penetrating arteries, and at the inner wall of the MCA curve. Overall, the results were well consistent with the low WSS theory in atherosclerosis formation. The reconstructed WSS model is a promising novel method for assessing an individualized vascular profile once validated by further studies.