• Raf H M van Hoof, Stefan A Vöö, Judith C Sluimer, Nicky J A Wijnen, Evelien Hermeling, SchreuderFloris H B MFHBMDepartment of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands.CARIM School for Cardiovascular Diseases, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.Department of Neurology, , TruijmanMartine T BMTBDepartment of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands.CARIM School for Cardiovascular Diseases, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.Department of Neurology, Maa, CleutjensJack P MJPMCARIM School for Cardiovascular Diseases, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.Department of Pathology, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands., DaemenMat J A PMJAPDepartment of Pathology, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands., Jan-Willem H Daemen, Robert J van Oostenbrugge, Werner H Mess, Joachim E Wildberger, Sylvia Heeneman, and M Eline Kooi.
• Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
• J Magn Reson Imaging. 2017 Oct 1; 46 (4): 1053-1059.

PurposeTo assess parameter agreement of volume transfer coefficient (Ktrans ) between two vascular regions and to study the correlation with microvessel density on histology. The dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) parameter Ktrans is frequently used to study atherosclerotic plaque microvasculature. Ktrans has been reported using different descriptive statistics (mean, median, 75th percentile) either for the whole vessel wall or the adventitia in previous studies.Materials And MethodsDCE-MRI parameter agreement was analyzed in 110 symptomatic patients with ≥2 mm carotid plaque that underwent a 3T carotid DCE-MRI examination. Ktrans was estimated in the entire vessel wall and adventitia. Twenty-three patients underwent carotid endarterectomy and were used for comparison with histological quantification of microvessel density of the plaque using CD31 immunohistochemistry. DCE-MRI parameters in the vessel wall regions were compared using Pearson's correlation coefficient, Bland-Altman analysis, and a two-sided paired samples t-test. Correlation of the DCE-MRI parameters with histology was studied using the Pearson's correlation coefficient.ResultsMedian adventitial Ktrans was 5% higher (P = 0.003) than entire vessel wall Ktrans , with no differences for other descriptive statistics. Vessel wall and adventitial Ktrans showed similar moderately strong correlations with plaque microvessel density on histology (Pearson's ρ: 0.59-0.65 [P < 0.003] and 0.52-0.64 [P < 0.011], respectively).ConclusionThe similar moderately strong correlations for vessel wall and adventitial Ktrans with microvessel density on histology suggested that both regions reflected plaque microvessel density. Care should to be taken when comparing absolute values between studies. Future studies incorporating thresholds for risk stratification need to agree upon standardization of DCE-MRI parameters.Level Of Evidence2 Technical Efficacy: Stage 2 J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2017;46:1053-1059.© 2017 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

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