Quantitative first-pass perfusion MRI of the mouse myocardium.
In this article, we present a first-pass perfusion imaging protocol to determine quantitative regional perfusion values (in mL min(-1) g(-1)) of the mouse myocardium. Perfusion was quantified using a Fermi-constrained deconvolution of the myocardial tissue response with the arterial input function. A dual-bolus approach was implemented. Experimental evidence is presented for the linearity of signal intensity in the left-ventricular lumen during the prebolus (r=0.99, P<0.001) and in the myocardium during the full-bolus injection (r=0.99, P<0.01) as function of Gd(DTPA)2- injection concentration used. The prebolus was used to reconstruct a nonsaturated arterial input function. Regional perfusion values proved repeatable in a cohort of nine healthy C57BL/6 mice. The perfusion values over two measurements with a 1-week interval were 7.3±0.9 and 7.2±0.6 mL min(-1) g(-1), respectively. No effects of time (P>0.05) and myocardial region (P>0.05) were observed. The between-session coefficient of variation was only 6%, whereas the inter-animal coefficient of variation was 11 and 8% for the separate experiments. We expect that the first-pass perfusion method here presented will be useful in preclinical studies of myocardial perfusion deficits and valuable to assess the impact of pro-angiogenic therapy after myocardial infarction.
Biomedical NMR, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, The Netherlands. b.j.v.nierop@tue.nl
Bastiaan J
BJ
van Nierop
Bram F
BF
Coolen
Wouter J R
WJ
Dijk
Arjan D
AD
Hendriks
Larry
L
de Graaf
Klaas
K
Nicolay
Gustav J
GJ
Strijkers
D000818:Animals; D003198:Computer Simulation; D003287:Contrast Media / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D003326:Coronary Circulation / Q000502:physiology*; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D006321:Heart / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology*; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D018810:Magnetic Resonance Angiography / Q000379:methods*; D019028:Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Cine / Q000379:methods; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008955:Models, Cardiovascular; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
D003287:Contrast Media; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA