EXCEED THE SPACE PROVIDED. In this competing continuation proposal we focus our entire effort on solving what we believe are the most important limitations that must be addressed to enable longitudinal studies of carotid artery plaque morphology using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and angiography (MRA). Although current MRI/MRA techniques have shown promise in carotid plaque imaging, these techniques still suffer from motion artifacts, SNR and spatial resolution limitations, and ambiguities in the delineation of the lumen/mural and outer wall interfaces. Further, repeatability in positioning the arteries in the neck must be addressed. In this work we will develop specific new pulse sequence variations and study new post processing techniques to address these problems. 1. New pulse sequences include (a) interleaved double inversion double echo fast spin echo (FSE) 'Triple Double', b. Triple Contrast PD/T2w/Tlw)Triple Double FSE, c. A localized T1 weighted 3D-FSE technique, and (d) A driven ;teady state 3DFSE technique. 2. We will develop post processing techniques to use planned data redundancies in the reduction of motion artifacts and develop related post processing techniques to reduce image noise. 3. We will develop an improved head/neck/torso positioning device to improve repeatability in artery orientation. We will evaluate consistency and repeatability of these techniques in patients with documented disease who are treated medically or surgically. The techniques developed should positively impact carotid MRI/MRA and the studies will provide a basis for future longitudinal studies of plaque morphology. PERFORMANCE SITE ========================================Section End===========================================
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