3D Fiber Orientation in Atherosclerotic Carotid Plaques.

Autor: Akyildiz AC; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Electronic address: acakyildiz@gmail.com., Chai CK; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands., Oomens CWJ; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands., van der Lugt A; Department of Radiology, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands., Baaijens FPT; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands., Strijkers GJ; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands; Biomedical Engineering and Physics, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands., Gijsen FJH; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Journal of structural biology [J Struct Biol] 2017 Oct; Vol. 200 (1), pp. 28-35. Date of Electronic Publication: 2017 Aug 26.
DOI: 10.1016/j.jsb.2017.08.003
Abstrakt: Atherosclerotic plaque rupture is the primary trigger of fatal cardiovascular events. Fibrillar collagen in atherosclerotic plaques and their directionality are anticipated to play a crucial role in plaque rupture. This study aimed assessing 3D fiber orientations and architecture in atherosclerotic plaques for the first time. Seven carotid plaques were imaged ex-vivo with a state-of-the-art Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) technique, using a high magnetic field (9.4Tesla) MRI scanner. A 3D spin-echo sequence with uni-polar diffusion sensitizing pulsed field gradients was utilized for DTI and fiber directions were assessed from diffusion tensor measurements. The distribution of the 3D fiber orientations in atherosclerotic plaques were quantified and the principal fiber orientations (circumferential, longitudinal or radial) were determined. Overall, 52% of the fiber orientations in the carotid plaque specimens were closest to the circumferential direction, 34% to the longitudinal direction, and 14% to the radial direction. Statistically no significant difference was measured in the amount of the fiber orientations between the concentric and eccentric plaque sites. However, concentric plaque sites showed a distinct structural organization, where the principally longitudinally oriented fibers were closer to the luminal side and the principally circumferentially oriented fibers were located more abluminally. The acquired unique information on 3D plaque fiber direction will help understanding pathobiological mechanisms of atherosclerotic plaque progression and pave the road to more realistic biomechanical plaque modeling for rupture assessment.
(Copyright © 2017 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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