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Application and progress of multimodal imaging technology in carotid atherosclerotic disease
NIU Jingjie  GAO Yang  WU Qiong  HE Jinlong  WANG Zehua  LUO Tong 

Cite this article as: NIU J J, GAO Y, WU Q. Application and progress of multimodal imaging technology in carotid atherosclerotic disease[J]. Chin J Magn Reson Imaging, 2026, 17(3): 174-180. DOI:10.12015/issn.1674-8034.2026.03.025.


[Abstract] Ischemic stroke caused by atherosclerosis is a major cause of disability and death globally. Carotid atherosclerosis, as one of the primary causes of ischemic stroke episodes, is particularly important for early prevention, diagnosis, assessment, and selection of treatment methods. Currently, research on carotid atherosclerosis has shifted from traditional lumen stenosis assessment to focusing on comprehensive risk stratification, such as plaque vulnerability and hemodynamics. However, there is still a lack of systematic organization regarding the clinical application integration, standardized interpretation, and how to apply these technologies to guide individualized treatment. This article reviews the multimodal imaging assessment, novel risk factors, plaque scoring, and surgical treatment progress of carotid atherosclerosis. It focuses on the application of advanced imaging technologies, such as high-resolution magnetic resonance vascular wall imaging, computational fluid dynamics, and 4D-flow MRI, in plaque composition analysis, hemodynamic assessment, and plaque risk stratification. It also points out the limitations of current related research in clinical application and analyzes feasible future research directions. This article aims to integrate multimodal imaging technology with individualized treatment strategies, indicating new directions for related research and contributing to achieving precise diagnosis and treatment.
[Keywords] ischemic stroke；carotid atherosclerosis；multimodal imaging technology；high-resolution magnetic resonance vascular wall imaging；magnetic resonance imaging；hemodynamics

NIU Jingjie   GAO Yang*   WU Qiong   HE Jinlong   WANG Zehua   LUO Tong  

Department of Radiology, the First Clinical Medical College of Inner Mongolia Medical University, Affiliated Hospital of Inner Mongolia Medical University, Hohhot 010050, China

Corresponding author: GAO Y, E-mail: 1390903990@qq.com

Conflicts of interest   None.

Received  2025-11-13
Accepted  2026-03-03
DOI: 10.12015/issn.1674-8034.2026.03.025
Cite this article as: NIU J J, GAO Y, WU Q. Application and progress of multimodal imaging technology in carotid atherosclerotic disease[J]. Chin J Magn Reson Imaging, 2026, 17(3): 174-180. DOI:10.12015/issn.1674-8034.2026.03.025.

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