Lipid Core Burden Index Assessed by Near-Infrared Spectroscopy of Symptomatic Carotid Plaques: Association with Magnetic Resonance T1-Weighted Imaging

Introduction: Vulnerable plaques are a strong predictor of cerebrovascular ischemic events, and high lipid core plaques (LCPs) are associated with an increased risk of embolic infarcts during carotid artery stenting (CAS). Recent developments in magnetic resonance (MR) plaque imaging have enabled noninvasive assessment of carotid plaque vulnerability, and the lipid component and intraplaque hemorrhage (IPH) are visible as high signal intensity areas on T1-weighted MR images. Recently, catheter-based near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) has been shown to accurately distinguish LCPs without IPH. This study aimed to determine whether the results of assessment of high LCPs by catheter-based NIRS correlate with the results of MR plaque imaging. Methods: We recruited 82 consecutive symptomatic carotid artery stenosis patients who were treated with CAS under NIRS and MR plaque assessment. Maximum lipid core burden index (max-LCBI) at minimal luminal areas (MLA), defined as max-LCBIMLA, and max-LCBI for any 4-mm segment in a target lesion, defined as max-LCBIAREA, were assessed by NIRS. Correlations were investigated between max-LCBI and MR T1-weighted plaque signal intensity ratio (T1W-SIR) and MR time-of-flight signal intensity ratio (TOF-SIR) in the same regions as assessed by NIRS. Results: Both T1W-SIRMLA and T1W-SIRAREA were significantly lower in the high LCP group (max-LCBI >504, p < 0.001 for both), while TOF-SIRMLA and TOF-SIRAREA were significantly higher in the high LCP group (p < 0.001 and p = 0.004, respectively). A significant linear correlation was present between max-LCBIMLA and both TIW-SIRMLA and TOF-SIRMLA (r = −0.610 and 0.452, respectively, p < 0.0001 for both). Furthermore, logistic regression analysis revealed that T1W-SIRMLA and TOF-SIRMLA were significantly associated with a high LCP assessed by NIRS (OR, 44.19 and 0.43; 95% CI: 6.55–298.19 and 0.19–0.96; p < 0.001 and = 0.039, respectively). Conclusions: A high LCP assessed by NIRS correlates with the signal intensity ratio of MR imaging in symptomatic patients with unstable carotid plaques.