A computer-simulation study on the effects of MRI voxel dimensions on carotid plaque lipid-core and fibrous cap segmentation and stress modeling.
BACKGROUND:The benefits of a decreased slice thickness and/or in-plane voxel size in carotid MRI for atherosclerotic plaque component quantification accuracy and biomechanical peak cap stress analysis have not yet been investigated in detail because of practical limitations. METHODS:In order to prov...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2015-01-01
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| Series: | PLoS ONE |
| Online Access: | http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC4391711?pdf=render |
| _version_ | 1818278410434117632 |
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| author | Harm A Nieuwstadt Zaid A M Kassar Aad van der Lugt Marcel Breeuwer Anton F W van der Steen Jolanda J Wentzel Frank J H Gijsen |
| author_facet | Harm A Nieuwstadt Zaid A M Kassar Aad van der Lugt Marcel Breeuwer Anton F W van der Steen Jolanda J Wentzel Frank J H Gijsen |
| author_sort | Harm A Nieuwstadt |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | BACKGROUND:The benefits of a decreased slice thickness and/or in-plane voxel size in carotid MRI for atherosclerotic plaque component quantification accuracy and biomechanical peak cap stress analysis have not yet been investigated in detail because of practical limitations. METHODS:In order to provide a methodology that allows such an investigation in detail, numerical simulations of a T1-weighted, contrast-enhanced, 2D MRI sequence were employed. Both the slice thickness (2 mm, 1 mm, and 0.5 mm) and the in plane acquired voxel size (0.62x0.62 mm2 and 0.31x0.31 mm2) were varied. This virtual MRI approach was applied to 8 histology-based 3D patient carotid atherosclerotic plaque models. RESULTS:A decreased slice thickness did not result in major improvements in lumen, vessel wall, and lipid-rich necrotic core size measurements. At 0.62x0.62 mm2 in-plane, only a 0.5 mm slice thickness resulted in improved minimum fibrous cap thickness measurements (a 2-3 fold reduction in measurement error) and only marginally improved peak cap stress computations. Acquiring voxels of 0.31x0.31 mm2 in-plane, however, led to either similar or significantly larger improvements in plaque component quantification and computed peak cap stress. CONCLUSIONS:This study provides evidence that for currently-used 2D carotid MRI protocols, a decreased slice thickness might not be more beneficial for plaque measurement accuracy than a decreased in-plane voxel size. The MRI simulations performed indicate that not a reduced slice thickness (i.e. more isotropic imaging), but the acquisition of anisotropic voxels with a relatively smaller in-plane voxel size could improve carotid plaque quantification and computed peak cap stress accuracy. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-12T23:17:00Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-74132182be1a4fbdba9b5784daba930e |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1932-6203 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-12T23:17:00Z |
| publishDate | 2015-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS ONE |
| spelling | doaj.art-74132182be1a4fbdba9b5784daba930e2022-12-22T00:08:26ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032015-01-01104e012303110.1371/journal.pone.0123031A computer-simulation study on the effects of MRI voxel dimensions on carotid plaque lipid-core and fibrous cap segmentation and stress modeling.Harm A NieuwstadtZaid A M KassarAad van der LugtMarcel BreeuwerAnton F W van der SteenJolanda J WentzelFrank J H GijsenBACKGROUND:The benefits of a decreased slice thickness and/or in-plane voxel size in carotid MRI for atherosclerotic plaque component quantification accuracy and biomechanical peak cap stress analysis have not yet been investigated in detail because of practical limitations. METHODS:In order to provide a methodology that allows such an investigation in detail, numerical simulations of a T1-weighted, contrast-enhanced, 2D MRI sequence were employed. Both the slice thickness (2 mm, 1 mm, and 0.5 mm) and the in plane acquired voxel size (0.62x0.62 mm2 and 0.31x0.31 mm2) were varied. This virtual MRI approach was applied to 8 histology-based 3D patient carotid atherosclerotic plaque models. RESULTS:A decreased slice thickness did not result in major improvements in lumen, vessel wall, and lipid-rich necrotic core size measurements. At 0.62x0.62 mm2 in-plane, only a 0.5 mm slice thickness resulted in improved minimum fibrous cap thickness measurements (a 2-3 fold reduction in measurement error) and only marginally improved peak cap stress computations. Acquiring voxels of 0.31x0.31 mm2 in-plane, however, led to either similar or significantly larger improvements in plaque component quantification and computed peak cap stress. CONCLUSIONS:This study provides evidence that for currently-used 2D carotid MRI protocols, a decreased slice thickness might not be more beneficial for plaque measurement accuracy than a decreased in-plane voxel size. The MRI simulations performed indicate that not a reduced slice thickness (i.e. more isotropic imaging), but the acquisition of anisotropic voxels with a relatively smaller in-plane voxel size could improve carotid plaque quantification and computed peak cap stress accuracy.http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC4391711?pdf=render |
| spellingShingle | Harm A Nieuwstadt Zaid A M Kassar Aad van der Lugt Marcel Breeuwer Anton F W van der Steen Jolanda J Wentzel Frank J H Gijsen A computer-simulation study on the effects of MRI voxel dimensions on carotid plaque lipid-core and fibrous cap segmentation and stress modeling. PLoS ONE |
| title | A computer-simulation study on the effects of MRI voxel dimensions on carotid plaque lipid-core and fibrous cap segmentation and stress modeling. |
| title_full | A computer-simulation study on the effects of MRI voxel dimensions on carotid plaque lipid-core and fibrous cap segmentation and stress modeling. |
| title_fullStr | A computer-simulation study on the effects of MRI voxel dimensions on carotid plaque lipid-core and fibrous cap segmentation and stress modeling. |
| title_full_unstemmed | A computer-simulation study on the effects of MRI voxel dimensions on carotid plaque lipid-core and fibrous cap segmentation and stress modeling. |
| title_short | A computer-simulation study on the effects of MRI voxel dimensions on carotid plaque lipid-core and fibrous cap segmentation and stress modeling. |
| title_sort | computer simulation study on the effects of mri voxel dimensions on carotid plaque lipid core and fibrous cap segmentation and stress modeling |
| url | http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC4391711?pdf=render |
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