Atherosclerotic plaque characterisation by Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Atherosclerotic plaque characterisation by Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
IRAS ID
331861
Contact name
Prakash Saha
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
NHS
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
N/A, N/A
Duration of Study in the UK
3 years, 0 months, 0 days
Research summary
Atherosclerosis is a problem where the walls of your blood vessels get thick and hard because of plaque build-up. When these plaques suddenly break, it can lead to blood clots that block blood flow to your vital organs, causing problems like strokes, heart attacks, or circulation issues in your limbs. This happens due to complex processes in the blood vessels' walls, which contribute to plaque formation.
Right now, doctors decide how to treat this problem based on how much the blood vessels are blocked and what symptoms you have. But not all plaques are the same. Some are more likely to break and cause trouble, and we call them "high-risk" plaques.
Our study's main goal is to find out if we can use a safe and non-invasive imaging technique called magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to detect these high-risk plaques. We want to see what these plaques are made of and compare our findings with what we learn from studying the tissue removed during surgery.
We will include patients who need surgery to remove plaques in their neck (carotid) or leg (femoral) arteries. We will use MRI to take pictures of their plaques before the surgery, but the MRI is just for research and won't change how they're treated.
If our study works, it could help us understand which patients are at higher risk and find better ways to treat them in the future. This research will help us improve how we care for people with vascular diseases.REC name
London - Hampstead Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
24/PR/0424
Date of REC Opinion
14 May 2024
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion