Michael Markl1, Felix Wegent2, Simon Bauer1, Aurelien F. Stalder1, Alex Frydrychowicz1, Cornelius Weiller2, Martin Schumacher3, Andreas Harloff2
1Diagnostic Radiology, Medical Physics, University Hospital Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany; 2Neurology, University Hospital Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany; 3Neuroradiology, University Hospital Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
Flow sensitive MRI for the in-vivo quantification of 3D blood-flow and derived vessel wall parameters may provide an enhanced understanding of flow-mediated arterial atherogenesis in the carotid arteries. We evaluated the normal distribution of segmental wall shear stress in 32 normal volunteers based flow-sensitive 4D MRI for full hemodynamic information on 3D blood flow. Analysis of vectorial wall shear stress (WSS) identified carotid segments potentially predisposed to the development of atherosclerosis. Posterior regions demonstrated a high incidence of low absolute WSS and high oscillatory shear index (OSI) offering a potential explanation why carotid stenosis predominantly develops in the ICA bulb.