High‐resolution MRI with cardiac and respiratory gating allows for accurate in vivo atherosclerotic plaque visualization in the murine aortic arch
Open Access
- 13 June 2003
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Wiley in Magnetic Resonance in Medicine
- Vol. 50 (1), 69-74
- https://doi.org/10.1002/mrm.10500
Abstract
Genetically engineered mouse models provide enormous potential for investigation of the underlying mechanisms of atherosclerotic disease, but noninvasive imaging methods for analysis of atherosclerosis in mice are currently limited. This study aimed to demonstrate the feasibility of MRI to noninvasively visualize atherosclerotic plaques in the thoracic aorta in mice deficient in apolipoprotein‐E, who develop atherosclerotic lesions similar to those observed in humans. To freeze motion, MR data acquisition was both ECG‐ and respiratory‐gated. T1‐weighted MR images were acquired with TR/TE ∼1000/10 ms. Spatial image resolution was 49 × 98 × 300 μm3. MRI revealed a detailed view of the lumen and the vessel wall of the entire thoracic aorta. Comparison of MRI with corresponding cross‐sectional histopathology showed excellent agreement of aortic vessel wall area (r = 0.97). Hence, noninvasive MRI should allow new insights into the mechanisms involved in progression and regression of atherosclerotic disease. Magn Reson Med 50:69–74, 2003.Keywords
This publication has 13 references indexed in Scilit:
- Repeated Three-Dimensional Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Atherosclerosis Development in Innominate Arteries of Low-Density Lipoprotein Receptor-Knockout MiceCirculation, 2002
- Atherosclerotic lesions in genetically modified mice quantified in vivo by non-invasive high-resolution magnetic resonance microscopy.Atherosclerosis, 2002
- Noninvasive in vivo magnetic resonance imaging of injury-induced neointima formation in the carotid artery of the apolipoprotein-E null mouseJournal of Magnetic Resonance Imaging, 2000
- Developmental changes of cardiac function and mass assessed with MRI in neonatal, juvenile, and adult miceAmerican Journal of Physiology-Heart and Circulatory Physiology, 2000
- Vascular Biology in Genetically Altered MiceCirculation Research, 1999
- Noninvasive In Vivo High-Resolution Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Atherosclerotic Lesions in Genetically Engineered MiceCirculation, 1998
- Magnetic resonance microimaging for noninvasive quantification of myocardial function and mass in the mouseMagnetic Resonance in Medicine, 1998
- Cardiac MRI of the normal and hypertrophied mouse heartMagnetic Resonance in Medicine, 1998
- Genes and physiology: molecular physiology in genetically engineered animals.JCI Insight, 1996
- In Vivo Echocardiographic Detection of Enhanced Left Ventricular Function in Gene-Targeted Mice With Phospholamban DeficiencyCirculation Research, 1995