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Updated: Aug 13, 2026
MRI and PET in Mouse Models of Myocardial Infarction
Published on: December 19, 2013
Imaging of ischemia and infarction in blood-perfused pig hearts using 87Rb MRI
V V Kupriyanov1, B Xiang, J Sun
1Institute for Biodiagnostics, National Research Council, Winnipeg, Canada. Kupriyanov@ibd.nrc.ca
Abstract:
87Rb-MRI was used to measure Rb(+) uptake in blood-perfused pig hearts during complete occlusion (120 and 70 min) of the left anterior descending artery (LAD) and subsequent reperfusion (120 and 170 min). The Rb(+) uptake rate and maximal Rb image intensity during 120-min occlusion were significantly lower in the ischemic anterior left ventricular (LV) wall (0.35 +/- 0.14%/min and 26 +/- 4.7%) relative to those in the remote posterior LV wall (2.43 +/- 0.33%/min and 98 +/- 10%). Reperfusion after 120 and 70 min of occlusion resulted in formation of damaged areas, which had 40 +/- 4 and 73 +/- 10% of the (87)Rb image intensity observed in the remote posterior wall. The infarct sizes determined histologically by triphenyltetrazolium chloride staining were 9.6 +/- 3.4 and 5.6 +/- 4.6% of the total ventricular mass (LV + RV) in the 120- and 70-min occlusion groups, respectively. The sizes determined by MRI were 13.1 +/- 2 and 2.8 +/- 4.3% of the total number of pixels, respectively. The Rb(+) uptake in the anterior wall during 120-min occlusion was somewhat lower than that previously observed in crystalloid-perfused hearts. It is concluded that blood does not interfere with the ability of (87)Rb MRI to detect ischemic and infarct areas.
Insights
Rubidium-87 MRI effectively detects heart damage from blocked arteries. Blood perfusion does not hinder this imaging technique for identifying ischemic and infarct areas in the heart.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Imaging
- Nuclear Cardiology
- Medical Physics
Background:
- Assessing myocardial ischemia and infarction is crucial for cardiovascular disease management.
- Rubidium-87 (Rb-87) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) offers a potential method for quantifying these conditions.
- Previous studies have not fully established the efficacy of Rb-87 MRI in blood-perfused hearts.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the utility of Rb-87 MRI in detecting and quantifying myocardial ischemia and infarcts in a blood-perfused pig heart model.
- To compare Rb-87 uptake and image intensity in ischemic versus remote myocardial regions.
- To validate Rb-87 MRI findings against histological infarct size measurements.
Main Methods:
- Blood-perfused pig hearts underwent left anterior descending artery (LAD) occlusion for 70 or 120 minutes, followed by reperfusion.
- Rb-87 uptake and MRI were performed to assess myocardial perfusion and damage.
- Histological analysis using triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) staining was used to determine infarct size.
Main Results:
- Rb-87 uptake and image intensity were significantly reduced in the ischemic anterior wall compared to the remote posterior wall during LAD occlusion.
- Reperfusion led to damaged areas with reduced Rb-87 intensity, correlating with occlusion duration.
- MRI-derived infarct sizes closely corresponded to histological measurements, with minor variations.
Conclusions:
- Rb-87 MRI accurately identifies ischemic and infarct regions in blood-perfused hearts.
- The presence of blood does not impede the diagnostic capability of Rb-87 MRI for assessing myocardial damage.
- This technique holds promise for non-invasive evaluation of myocardial injury in clinical settings.
