In vivo high-resolution imaging of the injured rat spinal cord using a 3.0T clinical MR scanner.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the feasibility of obtaining high-resolution MR images for the detection of pathological changes occurring in the injured rat spinal cord with a routine clinical 3.0T imaging system.


METHODS
Adult female Fischer 344 rats received thoracic spine contusion injuries. In vivo MR imaging was performed on days 1 and 43 postinjury with a clinical head 3.0T imaging system equipped with a dedicated small animal 4-channel phased array spine surface coil using T2-weighted turbo spin-echo and T1-weighted spin-echo sequences.


RESULTS
The acquired images provide good spatial resolution allowing reliable gray/white matter differentiation in the intact spinal cord as well as detection of hemorrhage, edema, and cystic degenerative changes in the injured rat spinal cord as confirmed by correlation with structural alterations in histological sections.


CONCLUSIONS
Results from the present study demonstrate that a routine clinical MR imaging system can be employed for noninvasive analysis of pathological changes occurring in the injured rat spinal cord and thus might represent a more broadly available, powerful tool to monitor the effects of experimental therapeutic interventions in vivo.
Sandner
Beatrice
B
Department of Neurology, University of Regensburg and District Medical Center, Germany.
Pillai
Deepu R
DR
Heidemann
Robin M
RM
Schuierer
Gerhard
G
Mueller
Matthias F
MF
Bogdahn
Ulrich
U
Schlachetzki
Felix
F
Weidner
Norbert
N
D000818:Animals; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional / Q000379:methods; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D051381:Rats; D011916:Rats, Inbred F344; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000473:pathology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D013904:Thoracic Vertebrae / Q000293:injuries / Q000473:pathology