Prediction of the Steady State of Carotid Atherosclerotic Plaque in Essential Hypertension Under Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Abstract

In order to improve the detection rate of carotid atherosclerotic plaque in patients with essential hypertension and provide a reliable basis for the follow-up treatment of patients, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was used to predict the stability of carotid atherosclerotic plaque in patients with essential hypertension. A total of 77 patients with essential hypertension in XXX hospital from June 2015 to December 2015 were included in the study (including 49 males and 28 females). The patients were divided into stable plaque group and unstable plaque group according to their pathological plaque status. First, MRI was performed and imaging data were recorded, including intraplaque bleeding, fibrous cap status, carotid artery remodeling index, thickest layer of plaque, and the degree of luminal stenosis in both groups. Second, patients in both groups were followed up for three years, during which time MRI was reperformed every six months, and the time required for changes in the carotid artery indicators in the two groups was compared with the Log Rank test. Third, multivariate Logistic regression model was used to analyze the correlation between plaque stability and gender, family history of cardiovascular disease, body mass index, and basic characteristics of hypertension course. The results showed that the number of IPH and fibrous cap rupture in the unstable plaque group was significantly higher than that in the stable plaque group (P < 0.05). The Log Rank test showed that the time required for the change of carotid artery plaque morphology in the stable plaque group was significantly lower than that in the unstable plaque group (P < 0.05). Besides, plaque stability was significantly positively correlated with gender and hypertension course (P < 0.05), but was not significantly correlated with family history of cardiovascular disease and body mass index (P > 0.05). Therefore, the plaque data of patients can be obtained based on MRI, so as to evaluate the stable status of patients’ plaque and predict the long-term status of patients, which provides an experimental scheme for the future clinical prediction of the plaque status of essential hypertension carotid atherosclerosis.