High-Resolution Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Carotid Artery Plaque
Research type
Research Study
Full title
High-Resolution Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Carotid Artery Plaque
IRAS ID
224687
Contact name
Martin John Graves
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and University of Cambridge
Duration of Study in the UK
3 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Stroke is the fourth most common cause of death and a leading cause of long-term disability worldwide. The narrowing of one of the main arteries in the neck (carotid) is a common indicator for the risk of stroke. As fatty deposits (plaque) build up, they thicken the vessel wall. if the plaque ruptures it can cause a stroke. The presence of bleeding into the plaque (intra-plaque haemorrhage), may characterise it as more likely to rupture. The effect of calcification of the plaque on its stability is less clear. in this preliminary study, we aim to identify bleeding and calcification more accurately based on a non-invasive imaging technique called Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) in a combination with a computational algorithm that is applied to the images after the scan called Quantitative Susceptibility Mapping (QSM). This technique may provide an accurate and reliable technique to identify and evaluate the plaques of patients and improve the selection of patients who may need surgery.
REC name
HSC REC B
REC reference
17/NI/0119
Date of REC Opinion
19 Jul 2017
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion