title: Noninvasive imaging of aortic atherosclerosis by ultrasound biomicroscopy in a mouse model.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The noninvasive and accurate evaluation of vessel characteristics in mouse models has become an intensive focus of vascular medicine. This study aimed to apply ultrasound biomicroscopy to evaluate aortic atherosclerotic progression in a low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDL-R) knockout mouse model of atherosclerosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ten male LDL-R(-/-)C57BL/6 mice aged 16 and 24 weeks and 8 male wild-type C57BL/6 mice aged 16 and 24 weeks were used as experimental and control groups, respectively. Ultrasound biomicroscopy was applied to detect the morphologic characteristics of the aortic root, ascending aorta, aortic arch, and carotid artery and to measure the aortic root intima-media thickness and carotid artery bifurcation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Ultrasound biomicroscopy showed a significant increase in the aortic root intima-media thickness from 0.10 ± 0.03 mm in 16-week-old mice to 0.16 ± 0.04 mm in 24-week-old mice (P < .01). The ultrasound biomicroscopically measured intima-media thickness was highly correlated with the histologic measurement (r = 0.81).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Ultrasound biomicroscopy could be used for a noninvasive, accurate, and dynamic analysis of aortic atherosclerosis in LDL-R knockout mice.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ultrasound, Affiliated Hospital of Innermongolia Medical University, Huhhot, China (X.Z., S.H., W.W., S.D., Y.S.); and Department of Ultrasound, Beijing Anzhen Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China (Y.Y.).
authors.forename: Xiaoshan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Ultrasound, Affiliated Hospital of Innermongolia Medical University, Huhhot, China (X.Z., S.H., W.W., S.D., Y.S.); and Department of Ultrasound, Beijing Anzhen Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China (Y.Y.).
authors.forename: Si
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ha
authors.affiliation: Department of Ultrasound, Affiliated Hospital of Innermongolia Medical University, Huhhot, China (X.Z., S.H., W.W., S.D., Y.S.); and Department of Ultrasound, Beijing Anzhen Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China (Y.Y.).
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.affiliation: Department of Ultrasound, Affiliated Hospital of Innermongolia Medical University, Huhhot, China (X.Z., S.H., W.W., S.D., Y.S.); and Department of Ultrasound, Beijing Anzhen Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China (Y.Y.).
authors.forename: Shasha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Duan
authors.affiliation: Department of Ultrasound, Affiliated Hospital of Innermongolia Medical University, Huhhot, China (X.Z., S.H., W.W., S.D., Y.S.); and Department of Ultrasound, Beijing Anzhen Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China (Y.Y.).
authors.forename: Yilu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.affiliation: Department of Ultrasound, Affiliated Hospital of Innermongolia Medical University, Huhhot, China (X.Z., S.H., W.W., S.D., Y.S.); and Department of Ultrasound, Beijing Anzhen Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China (Y.Y.). yangya999@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Ya
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001011:Aorta / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D001018:Aortic Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D033401:Microscopy, Acoustic
keywords: aorta; atherosclerosis; intima-media thickness; low-density lipoprotein receptor; ultrasound biomicroscopy; vascular ultrasound