Effect of contrast enhancement on the measurement of carotid arterial lumen and wall volume using MRI

Abstract

To investigate whether gadolinium (Gd)-based contrast enhancement (CE) affects high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) measurements of carotid arterial wall volume. The common carotid artery (CCA), bifurcation, and internal carotid artery (ICA) of 50 consecutive patients were imaged using 1.5T MRI. T1-weighted (T1W) images were obtained before and after Gd administration. Pre- and post-CE measurements were compared among different arterial locations of the CCA, bifurcation, and ICA, and among different atherosclerotic lesion types. In comparison to pre-CE T1W images, post-CE images showed an increase in the apparent wall volume measurement of 28.2% (108.7 mm3 vs. 84.7 mm3, P < 0.001). The post-CE measurement increases in wall volume for the CCA, bifurcation, and ICA were 26.7%, 29.2%, and 28.0%, respectively. Gd CE causes a significant increase in the apparent volume of the carotid wall throughout multiple carotid artery locations, which may be associated with improved visibility or neovascularization.