Motion-insensitive carotid intraplaque hemorrhage imaging using 3D inversion recovery preparation stack of stars (IR-prep SOS) technique.

Purpose: Carotid artery imaging is important in the clinical management of patients at risk for stroke. Carotid intraplaque hemorrhage (IPH) presents an important diagnostic challenge. 3D magnetization prepared rapid acquisition gradient echo (MPRAGE) has been shown to accurately image carotid IPH; however, this sequence can be limited due to motion- and flow-related artifact.