Small animal cardiovascular MR imaging and spectroscopy.
The use of MR imaging and spectroscopy for studying cardiovascular disease processes in small animals has increased tremendously over the past decade. This is the result of the remarkable advances in MR technologies and the increased availability of genetically modified mice. MR techniques provide a window on the entire timeline of cardiovascular disease development, ranging from subtle early changes in myocardial metabolism that often mark disease onset to severe myocardial dysfunction associated with end-stage heart failure. MR imaging and spectroscopy techniques play an important role in basic cardiovascular research and in cardiovascular disease diagnosis and therapy follow-up. This is due to the broad range of functional, structural and metabolic parameters that can be quantified by MR under in vivo conditions non-invasively. This review describes the spectrum of MR techniques that are employed in small animal cardiovascular disease research and how the technological challenges resulting from the small dimensions of heart and blood vessels as well as high heart and respiratory rates, particularly in mice, are tackled.
Biomedical NMR, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands; Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Adrianus J
AJ
Bakermans
Biomedical NMR, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
Desiree
D
Abdurrachim
Biomedical NMR, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
Rik P M
RP
Moonen
Biomedical NMR, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands; Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Abdallah G
AG
Motaal
Biomedical NMR, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
Jeanine J
JJ
Prompers
Biomedical NMR, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands; Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Gustav J
GJ
Strijkers
Biomedical NMR, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
Katrien
K
Vandoorne
Biomedical NMR, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands. Electronic address: k.nicolay@tue.nl.
Klaas
K
Nicolay
D000818:Animals; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006321:Heart / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy / Q000379:methods; D051379:Mice; D011859:Radiography
Cardiovascular diseases; MRI; MRS; Metabolism; Molecular imaging; Rodents