title: Long-term left ventricular remodelling in rat model of nonreperfused myocardial infarction: sequential MR imaging using a 3T clinical scanner.
abstract: Purpose. To evaluate whether 3T clinical MRI with a small-animal coil and gradient-echo (GE) sequence could be used to characterize long-term left ventricular remodelling (LVR) following nonreperfused myocardial infarction (MI) using semi-automatic segmentation software (SASS) in a rat model. Materials and Methods. 5 healthy rats were used to validate left ventricular mass (LVM) measured by MRI with postmortem values. 5 sham and 7 infarcted rats were scanned at 2 and 4 weeks after surgery to allow for functional and structural analysis of the heart. Measurements included ejection fraction (EF), end-diastolic volume (EDV), end-systolic volume (ESV), and LVM. Changes in different regions of the heart were quantified using wall thickness analyses. Results. LVM validation in healthy rats demonstrated high correlation between MR and postmortem values. Functional assessment at 4 weeks after MI revealed considerable reduction in EF, increases in ESV, EDV, and LVM, and contractile dysfunction in infarcted and noninfarcted regions. Conclusion. Clinical 3T MRI with a small animal coil and GE sequence generated images in a rat heart with adequate signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) for successful semiautomatic segmentation to accurately and rapidly evaluate long-term LVR after MI.
authors.affiliation: MRC/UCT Medical Imaging Research Unit, Department of Human Biology, University of Cape Town, Observatory 7925, South Africa. mgsaleh7@gmail.com
authors.forename: Muhammad G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Saleh
authors.forename: Sarah-Kate
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Sharp
authors.forename: Alkathafi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Alhamud
authors.forename: Bruce S
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Spottiswoode
authors.forename: Andre J W
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: van der Kouwe
authors.forename: Neil H
authors.initials: NH
authors.lastname: Davies
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Franz
authors.forename: Ernesta M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Meintjes
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000601:surgery; D015428:Myocardial Reperfusion Injury / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000601:surgery; D009929:Organ Size; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013997:Time Factors; D020257:Ventricular Remodeling