Mauricio
S. Galizia1, Jennifer McDonald1, Marie Wasielewski1,
Maria Carr1, Mary McDermott2, 3, James C.
Carr1, Michael Markl1, 4
1Department of Radiology, Northwestern University-Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, United States; 2Department of Preventive Medicine, Northwestern University-Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, United States; 3Department of Internal Medicine, Northwestern University-Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, United States; 4Department of Biomedical Engineering, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, United States
Twenty-three patients with peripheral artery disease were imaged with a multi-contrast plaque imaging protocol and with phase-contrast MRA. The plaque images were classified as normal or abnormal and divided in categories. Phase-contrast images were manually segmented and various flow parameters were calculated. Patients with plaques had lower total blood flow, peak wall shear stress (WSS), and average WSS. This technique has the potential to being able to investigate a direct connection between the presence and type of atherosclerotic plaques and changes in wall shear stress.