Carotid Artery Wall Lipid Quantification by Means of 1H-Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy: Correlation with Carotid Wall Area and Normalized Wall Index.

Raphael Duivenvoorden¹, Adriaan G. Holleboom¹, Eric de Groot¹, Dirkjan F. Enklaar¹, Johan S. Lamris², John J.P. Kastelein¹, Erik S.G. Stroes¹, Aart J. Nederveen²

We developed a carotid MRS protocol to non-invasively test the relation between the lipid to water ratio at the location of the carotid artery wall and carotid artery wall dimensions. We found that the lipid:water ratio correlated with the carotid artery wall dimensions, independent of serum lipid levels. Further research is needed to resolve whether MRS is a useful tool to assess the efficacy of lipid altering pharmacotherapy in the treatment of advanced atherosclerotic lesions.