Intraplaque hemorrhage

Plaque morphology

“Vulnerable” plaques are atherosclerotic plaques likely to cause thrombotic complications or those that tend to progress rapidly. Criteria for vulnerable plaques include intimal thickening, plaque fissure, lipid/necrotic core with thin fibrous cap, calcification, thrombus, intraplaque hemorrhage, and outward remodeling. Some of these features can be identified with high-resolution MRI 1) 2) 3) 4)

Carotid intraplaque hemorrhage

1)
Cai JM, Hatsukami TS, Ferguson MS, Small R, Polissar NL, Yuan C. Classification of human carotid atherosclerotic lesions with in vivo multicontrast magnetic resonance imaging. Circulation. 2002; 106:1368–1373
2)
Saam T, Cai J, Ma L, Cai YQ, Ferguson MS, Polissar NL, Hatsukami TS, Yuan C. Comparison of symptomatic and asymptomatic atherosclerotic carotid plaque features with in vivo MR imaging. Radiology. 2006; 240:464–472
3)
Saam T, Hatsukami TS, Takaya N, Chu B, Underhill H, Kerwin WS, Cai J, Ferguson MS, Yuan C. The vulnerable, or high-risk, atherosclerotic plaque: noninvasive MR imaging for characterization and assessment. Radiology. 2007; 244:64–77
4)
Nighoghossian N, Derex L, Douek P. The vulnerable carotid artery plaque: current imaging methods and new perspectives. Stroke. 2005; 36:2764–2772