Table 7 The table represents different plaque constituents and their MRI visible protons in active chemical groups. These different constituents exhibit specific MRI signal intensity determined by their specific relaxation times T1 and T2 at specific 9.4 T magnetic field.
Plaque components | Chemical structure | T1(ms) | T2(ms) | MRI Visibility* | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Â | Â | S = N(1 - e-T1/TR) | S = N(1 - e-TE/TR) | T1-w | T2-w | PD-w |
Lipid | -CH2-CH2- | 1643.3 ± 25.6 | 52.9 ± 2.5 | + | - | +/- |
Cholesterol | -CH3 | 643.5 ± 34.5 | 14.3 ± 0.9 | + | +/- | +/- |
Calcium | Bound form | 56.5 ± 10 | 2.2 ± 0.4 | -- | -- | -- |
Collagen | -CH2 (-Gly-Hyp-Pro-) | 1750.4 ± 25.4 | 54.1 ± 0.8 | + | +/- | + |
Elastin | -CH2-N H2 | 1640.6 ± 16.2 | 62.2 ± 1.1 | +/- | +/- | + |
Atheroma | Paramagnetic Heme | 1204.2 ± 14.4 | 16.0 ± 1.2 | + | - | - |