Diagnosing Carotid Near-Occlusion with Phase-Contrast MRI

E Johansson; L Zarrinkoob; A Wåhlin; A Eklund; J Malm

doi:10.3174/ajnr.A7076

Diagnosing Carotid Near-Occlusion with Phase-Contrast MRI

AJNR Am J Neuroradiol. 2021 May;42(5):927-929. doi: 10.3174/ajnr.A7076. Epub 2021 Mar 11.

Authors

E Johansson^{1

2}, L Zarrinkoob^{3

4}, A Wåhlin^{5

6}, A Eklund^{5

6}, J Malm³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Clinical Science (E.J., L.Z., J.M.), Neurosciences, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden elias.johansson@umu.se.
² Wallenberg Center for Molecular Medicine (E.J.), Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.
³ Department of Clinical Science (E.J., L.Z., J.M.), Neurosciences, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.
⁴ Department of Perioperative Sciences (L.Z.), Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.
⁵ Department of Radiation Sciences (A.W., A.E.), Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.
⁶ Umeå Center for Functional Brain Imaging (A.W., A.E.), Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.

Abstract

Carotid near-occlusion is a frequently overlooked diagnosis when CTA examinations are assessed in routine practice. To evaluate the potential value of phase-contrast MR imaging in identifying near-occlusion, we examined 9 carotid near-occlusions and 20 cases of conventional ≥50% carotid stenosis (mean stenosis degree, 65%) with phase-contrast MR imaging. Mean ICA flow was lower in near-occlusions (52 mL/min) than in conventional ≥50% stenosis (198 mL/min, P < .001). ICA flow of ≤110 mL/min was 100% sensitive and specific for near-occlusion. Phase-contrast MR imaging is a promising tool for diagnosing carotid near-occlusion.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Aged
Carotid Artery, Internal / diagnostic imaging*
Carotid Stenosis / diagnostic imaging*
Female
Humans
Magnetic Resonance Imaging / methods*
Male
Middle Aged