Contrast-enhanced MRI of murine myocardial infarction - Part II

• Published in: NMR in biomedicine 2012-08, Vol.25 (8), p.969-984
• Main Authors: Coolen, Bram F., Paulis, Leonie E. M., Geelen, Tessa, Nicolay, Klaas, Strijkers, Gustav J.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animal models; Animals; Cardiovascular MR (CMR) methods; Contrast Media; heart function; heart structure; Humans; Imaging, Three-Dimensional; ischemic heart diseases; Magnetic Resonance Imaging - methods; Mice; Myocardial Infarction - diagnosis; myocardial perfusion; myocardial viability; Myocardium - pathology; Perfusion
• ISSN: 0952-3480; 1099-1492
• DOI: 10.1002/nbm.2767

Mouse models are increasingly used to study the pathophysiology of myocardial infarction in vivo. In this area, MRI has become the gold standard imaging modality, because it combines high spatial and temporal resolution functional imaging with a large variety of methods to generate soft tissue contrast. In addition, (target‐specific) MRI contrast agents can be employed to visualize different processes in the cascade of events following myocardial infarction. Here, the MRI sequence has a decisive role in the detection sensitivity of a contrast agent. However, a straightforward translation of clinically available protocols for human cardiac imaging to mice is not feasible, because of the small size of the mouse heart and its extremely high heart rate. This has stimulated intense research in the development of cardiac MRI protocols specifically tuned to the mouse with regard to timing parameters, acquisition strategies, and ECG‐ and respiratory‐triggering methods to find an optimal trade‐off between sensitivity, scan time, and image quality. In this review, a detailed analysis is given of the pros and cons of different mouse cardiac MR imaging methodologies and their application in contrast‐enhanced MRI of myocardial infarction. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Murine models of myocardial infarction are widely used to study the pathophysiological processes underlying adverse cardiac remodeling after myocardial infarction. Contrast‐enhanced cardiac MRI offers many readouts to study these processes non‐invasively. Part II of this two‐part review discusses recent developments in MRI sequences design for contrast‐enhanced MRI of murine myocardial infarction.