Characteristics of Atherosclerotic Plaque in Thoracic Aorta in the Elderly Evaluated by Magnetic Resonance Vessel Wall Imaging
10.3969/j.issn.1005-5185.2017.08.008
- VernacularTitle:磁共振管壁成像评价老年人胸主动脉粥样硬化斑块的特征
- Author:
Changwu ZHOU
1
;
Xihai ZHAO
;
Cheng LI
;
Huiyu QIAO
;
Le HE
;
Chun YUAN
Author Information
1. 扬州大学第二临床医学院放射科 江苏扬州225000
- Keywords:
Atherosclerosis;
Aorta,thoracic;
Magnetic resonance imaging;
Magnetic resonance angiography;
Aortography;
Aged
- From:
Chinese Journal of Medical Imaging
2017;25(8):588-592
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
Purpose The thoracic aortic atherosclerotic plaque is an important source of ischemic stroke embolism in the elderly.This study aims to explore the characteristics of vulnerable plaque of atherosclerosis in the thoracic aorta in the elderly by using three-dimensional multi-contrast magnetic resonancewall imaging technique,so as to actively prevent the occurrence of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular complications.Materials and Methods Fifty-three cases of elderly subjects (＞60 years old) without serious cerebrovascular diseases were recruited in this prospective study.All subjects were divided into A and B groups (60-74 and 75-90 years old).All subjects underwent MRI of multiple contrast sequences of the aortic wall.The thoracic aorta was divided into three segments of ascending aorta,aortic arch and descending aorta,and the characteristics of the atherosclerotic plaque were evaluated.The load characteristics of thoracic aortic atherosclerotic plaques in the elderly were calculated quantitatively,and the compositional characteristics were evaluated qualitatively.Results The incidence of intraplaque hemorrhage in the thoracic aortic atherosclerotic plaque in the elderly was 26.4％ (14/53),and the incidence of lipid nucleus was 94.3％ (50/53).Meanwhile,the maximum wall thickness of three segments of ascending aorta,aortic arch and descending aorta in group B was significantly higher than that in group A [(3.1±0.6) mm vs (3.0±0.4) mm,P＜0.05;(3.2±0.7) mm vs (3.1 ±0.7) mm,P＜0.05;(3.0±0.8) mm vs (2.9±0.7) mm,P＜0.001];the normalized wall index of the three segments in group B was significantly higher than that in group A [(26.9±3.5)％ vs (26.7±2.9)％,P＜0.001;(31.9±5.1)％ vs (31.0±5.1)％,P＜0.001;(34.6±5.0)％ vs (34.1 ±4.6)％,P＜0.001)].Conclusion The incidence of hemorrhage in the atherosclerotic plaque in the thoracic aorta in the elderly is higher,and the plaque load increases with age.Therefore,early screening of vulnerable plaque in the thoracic aorta in the elderly using magnetic resonance wall imaging will be helpful for prevention and treatment of stroke.
