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Atherosclerosis is a systemic and multifocal disease, which starts early in life, and that usually takes decades before overt disease eventually appears as a consequence of progressive obstruction or abrupt thrombotic occlusion. This silent course makes necessary to develop predictors of disease long before symptomatic lesions develop. Besides several classical risk factors and new emerging humoral risk predictors, imaging may constitute a formidable diagnostic and prognostic tool in order to identify presence, extension, progression (or regression) of disease as well as vulnerability of atherosclerotic lesions. This review summarizes the rapidly growing clinical and research field in imaging atherosclerosis from different perspectives opening important opportunities for timely detection and treatment of atherosclerosis., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Aims: The time course of atherosclerosis burden in distinct vascular territories remains poorly understood. We longitudinally evaluated the natural history of atherosclerotic progression in two different arterial territories using high spatial resolution magnetic resonance imaging (HR-MRI), a powerful, safe, and non-invasive tool., Methods and Results: We prospectively studied a cohort of 30 patients (mean age 68.3, n = 9 females) with high Framingham general cardiovascular disease 10-year risk score (29.5%) and standard medical therapy with mild-to-moderate atherosclerosis intra-individually at the level of both carotid and femoral arteries. A total of 178 HR-MRI studies of carotid and femoral arteries performed at baseline and at 1- and 2-year follow-up were evaluated in consensus reading by two experienced readers for lumen area (LA), total vessel area (TVA), vessel wall area (VWA = TVA - LA), and normalized wall area index (NWI = VWA/TVA). At the carotid level, LA decreased (-3.19%/year, P = 0.018), VWA increased (+3.83%/year, P = 0.019), and TVA remained unchanged. At the femoral level, LA remained unchanged, VWA and TVA increased (+5.23%/year and +3.11%/year, both P < 0.01), and NWI increased for both carotid and femoral arteries (+2.28%/year, P = 0.01, and +1.8%/year, P = 0.033)., Conclusion: The atherosclerotic burden increased significantly in both carotid and femoral arteries. However, carotid plaque progression was associated with negative remodelling, whereas the increase in femoral plaque burden was compensated by positive remodelling. This finding could be related to anatomic and flow differences and/or to the distinct degree of obstruction in the two arterial territories.

Objectives: We aimed to assess in vivo the long-term effects of percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) and endovascular brachytherapy (EVBT) on vessel wall by serial MRI. Methods: Twenty patients with symptomatic stenosis of the femoropopliteal artery were randomly assigned to PTA (n =10) or PTA+EVBT (n =10, 14Gy by γ-source). High-resolution MRI was performed prior, at 24-hours, 3-months, and 24-months after intervention. MRI data were analyzed by an independent, blinded observer. Results: The effects of both procedures on vessel wall at 24-hours and 3-months have been reported. Despite similar percent decrease in lumen area between 3- and 24-months in both groups (−8% for PTA and −11% for PTA+EVBT), at 24-months lumen area gain compared to baseline was +30% in PTA versus +82% in PTA+EVBT (p <0.05). Total vessel area, which was increased at 24-hours and 3-months, returned to pre-treatment value in both groups. Conclusions: We demonstrated non-invasively that restenosis and inward remodeling after PTA are delayed by EVBT. At 24-months, patients treated with brachytherapy have larger lumen than those treated with PTA alone. The decrease in luminal and total vessel area between 3- and 24-months after EVBT indicates that the restenotic and remodeling process is not abolished but delayed with this therapy. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]