You Xiangdong, Huang Pintong, Zhang Chao, Wang Minghui, Zhang Ying, Hong Yurong, Wei Shumei, Liu Chunmei, Pu Zhaoxia, Zhang Jianmin, Chen Shuyuan
Department of Ultrasonography, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Zhejiang, China.
Department of Pathology, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Zhejiang, China.
PLoS One. 2014 Apr 8;9(4):e92445. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0092445. eCollection 2014.
The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between enhanced intensity of contrast enhanced ultrasound and microvessel density of aortic atherosclerotic plaque in rabbit model. The abdominal aortas of thirty-six male New Zealand rabbits were damaged by balloon expansion and the animals were then fed a high fat diet for 12 weeks. Twenty-seven plaques on the near aortic wall were detected using conventional ultrasound examination. The maximum thickness of each plaque was recorded. CEUS was performed on these 27 plaques and the time-intensity curves (TICs) were analyzed offline. Using the quantitative ACQ software, features such as the arrival time (AT), time to peak (TTP), baseline intensity (BI), peak intensity (PI) and enhanced intensity (EI) (EI = PI-BI) were assessed. Inter- and intra-observer agreement of EI were assessed using the Bland-Altman test. After CEUS examination, the rabbits were sacrificed for pathological examination and CD34 monoclonal antibody immunohistochemical detection. Microvessel density (MVD) was counted under the microscope. The relationship between indexes of CEUS and the level of MVD was analyzed. There was a good positive linear correlation between EI and MVD (γ = 0. 854, P<0. 001), the intraclass correlations for inter- and intra-observer agreement for EI were 0.73 and 0.82 respectively, suggesting that EI may be act as a useful index for plaque risk stratification in animal models.
本研究旨在评估兔模型中超声造影增强强度与主动脉粥样硬化斑块微血管密度之间的关系。对36只雄性新西兰兔的腹主动脉进行球囊扩张损伤，然后给予高脂饮食12周。采用常规超声检查检测主动脉近壁的27个斑块，记录每个斑块的最大厚度。对这27个斑块进行超声造影检查，并离线分析时间-强度曲线（TICs）。使用定量ACQ软件评估到达时间（AT）、峰值时间（TTP）、基线强度（BI）、峰值强度（PI）和增强强度（EI）（EI = PI - BI）等特征。采用Bland-Altman检验评估观察者间和观察者内EI的一致性。超声造影检查后，处死兔子进行病理检查和CD34单克隆抗体免疫组织化学检测。在显微镜下计数微血管密度（MVD）。分析超声造影指标与MVD水平之间的关系。EI与MVD之间存在良好的正线性相关性（γ = 0.854，P < 0.001），观察者间和观察者内EI一致性的组内相关系数分别为0.73和0.82，表明EI可能作为动物模型中斑块风险分层的有用指标。
