{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,3]],"date-time":"2026-08-03T20:42:43Z","timestamp":1785789763051,"version":"3.56.0"},"reference-count":49,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,17]],"date-time":"2026-04-17T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1776384000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Neurol."],"abstract":"\n Objective<\/jats:title>\n \n To evaluate the image quality and diagnostic performance of fast magnetic resonance imaging with deep learning-based reconstruction (MRI\n DLR<\/jats:sub>\n ) for carotid atherosclerotic plaques. We compared MRI\n DLR<\/jats:sub>\n to conventional MRI (MRI\n C<\/jats:sub>\n ) and fast MRI without deep learning-based reconstruction (MRI\n Fast<\/jats:sub>\n ).\n <\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Methods<\/jats:title>\n \n Sixty-nine patients were recruited between May 2022 and April 2024. Imaging was performed using a 3.0\u202fT MRI system (SIGNA\u2122 Architect, GE Healthcare) with a 19-channel head\u2013neck coil. Image quality was assessed objectively [measuring signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR)], subjectively (evaluating overall image quality, noise, contrast, artifacts, sharpness and diagnostic performance). All statistical analyses were performed using R software version 4.4.2, with agreement among results assessed using Cohen\u2019s\n \u03ba<\/jats:italic>\n .\n <\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Results<\/jats:title>\n \n The average scanning time was reduced by 12.4\u202fmin (approximately 63.2%) for MRI\n DLR<\/jats:sub>\n and MRI\n Fast<\/jats:sub>\n compared to MRI\n C<\/jats:sub>\n . The SNR of T\n 1<\/jats:sub>\n and T\n 2<\/jats:sub>\n sequences for MRI\n DLR<\/jats:sub>\n and MRI\n C<\/jats:sub>\n showed significantly higher than MRI\n Fast<\/jats:sub>\n (\n p<\/jats:italic>\n \u202f&lt;\u202f0.05), and the SNR of T\n 1<\/jats:sub>\n and T\n 2<\/jats:sub>\n sequences for MRI\n DLR<\/jats:sub>\n was significantly higher than MRI\n C<\/jats:sub>\n . The SNR of PD sequences for MRI\n DLR<\/jats:sub>\n and MRI\n C<\/jats:sub>\n showed significantly higher than MRI\n Fast<\/jats:sub>\n (\n p<\/jats:italic>\n \u202f&lt;\u202f0.05), and there was not significantly different between MRI\n DLR<\/jats:sub>\n and MRI\n C<\/jats:sub>\n (\n p<\/jats:italic>\n \u202f&gt;\u202f0.05). The CNR of T\n 1<\/jats:sub>\n , T\n 2,<\/jats:sub>\n and PD sequences for MRI\n DLR<\/jats:sub>\n and MRI\n C<\/jats:sub>\n showed significantly higher than MRI\n Fast<\/jats:sub>\n (\n p<\/jats:italic>\n \u202f&lt;\u202f0.05), and there was not significantly different between MRI\n DLR<\/jats:sub>\n and MRI\n C<\/jats:sub>\n (\n p<\/jats:italic>\n \u202f&gt;\u202f0.05). Subjective image quality was significantly higher for MRI\n DLR<\/jats:sub>\n than MRI\n C<\/jats:sub>\n and MRI\n Fast<\/jats:sub>\n (\n p<\/jats:italic>\n \u202f&lt;\u202f0.05), and MRI\n C<\/jats:sub>\n was higher than MRI\n Fast<\/jats:sub>\n (\n p<\/jats:italic>\n \u202f&lt;\u202f0.05). Comparing with MRI\n C<\/jats:sub>\n and MRI\n Fast<\/jats:sub>\n , MRI\n DLR<\/jats:sub>\n was more effective in diagnosing hemorrhage, lipid nuclei, calcification, fiber cap disruption, and vulnerable plaques, and showed greater concordance with surgical pathology findings.\n <\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n \n MRI\n DLR<\/jats:sub>\n can offer superior image quality and diagnostic performance for carotid atherosclerotic plaques while reducing scanning time. So it enhances diagnostic accuracy and lessens the examination burden on patients which will contribute to the diagnosis and treatment of stroke.\n <\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fneur.2026.1793953","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,17]],"date-time":"2026-04-17T04:12:53Z","timestamp":1776399173000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Deep learning-based reconstruction improves MRI image quality and diagnostic performance for carotid atherosclerotic plaques"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"17","author":[{"given":"Xixiang","family":"Chen","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Radiology, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University","place":["Wuhan, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Changsheng","family":"Liu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Radiology, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University","place":["Wuhan, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Xuefang","family":"Lu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Radiology, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University","place":["Wuhan, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Weiyin Vivian","family":"Liu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"China MR Research, GE Healthcare","place":["Beijing, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yabing","family":"Huang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pathology, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University","place":["Wuhan, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yunfei","family":"Zha","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Radiology, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University","place":["Wuhan, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Zuneng","family":"Lu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Neurology, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University","place":["Wuhan, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,17]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"18","DOI":"10.1177\/17474930211065917","article-title":"World stroke organization (WSO): global stroke fact sheet 2022","volume":"17","author":"Feigin","year":"2022","journal-title":"Int J Stroke Off J Int Stroke Soc"},{"key":"ref2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1250","DOI":"10.2174\/1389450117666160502151600","article-title":"The molecular concept of atheromatous plaques","volume":"18","author":"Thent","year":"2017","journal-title":"Curr Drug 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