Why is middle cerebral artery plaque augmented by contrast media? A phantom study using middle cerebral artery stenotic silicon model

The pathophysiologic mechanisms of contrast enhancement (CE) of middle cerebral artery (MCA) plaque remain unclear since histologic and imaging findings have never been compared. The purpose of this study was to assess the pattern of CE between patients with MCA stenosis or occlusion and in an MCA stenotic silicone model. We retrospectively reviewed black blood (BB) contrast-enhanced T1-weighted (CE-T1W) imaging of patients who presented with...