Ruptured Carotid Plaques as a Feature in Patients with Unstable Angina Pectoris

Jianming Cai¹, Qingjun Wang¹, Yong Wang¹, Youquan Cai¹, Lin Ma¹, Dongxiang Xu², Chun Yuan²

By using multi-contrast high-resolution MRI, we studied prospectively whether carotid plaque characteristics can predict unstable angina pectoris (UAP). In the present study, each subject with stenosis >50% in one or more major coronary arteries was performed a carotid MRI examination on a 3.0-T MRI scanner. Our findings show that the presence of fibrous cap rupture was the strongest independent predictor of UAP. With a multi-contrast high-resolution MRI, the ruptured carotid plaques may be a surrogate marker for identifying patients at high risk of UAP and may contribute to a better risk stratification of patients with coronary artery disease.