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In Vivo Quantitative Assessment of Myocardial Structure, Function, Perfusion and Viability Using Cardiac Micro-computed Tomography
Published on: February 16, 2016
3D perfusion mapping in post-infarct mice using myocardial contrast echocardiography
Brent A French1, Yinbo Li, Alexander L Klibanov
1Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908-0759, USA.
Ultrasound in Medicine & Biology
|June 21, 2006
Summary
Myocardial contrast echocardiography (MCE) created 3D perfusion maps in mice, accurately reflecting myocardial infarction (MI) size. This noninvasive technique aids in evaluating new therapies for heart injury.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Imaging
- Medical Physics
- Preclinical Research
Background:
- Assessing myocardial infarction (MI) size is crucial for evaluating therapeutic efficacy.
- Current methods for determining infarct size can be invasive or lack precise spatial resolution.
- Noninvasive imaging techniques are needed to accurately map perfusion defects in vivo.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate a 3D mapping technique using Myocardial Contrast Echocardiography (MCE) for quantifying perfusion defects.
- To correlate in vivo MCE findings with ex vivo histological analysis in a murine model of MI.
- To establish a noninvasive method for determining the ischemic region at risk.
Main Methods:
- Myocardial Contrast Echocardiography (MCE) was performed in closed-chest mice with and without induced myocardial infarction (MI).
- Contiguous short-axis MCE cine images were acquired at 1 mm intervals from apex to base.
- Images were color-coded for relative perfusion and compared with postmortem histology for validation.
Main Results:
- A strong correlation (R > 0.93) was found between in vivo MCE measurements and ex vivo tissue staining for perfused areas.
- 3D multislice and surface renderings of perfusion distribution accurately matched postmortem histology.
- The developed MCE method reliably determined the size of the ischemic region.
Conclusions:
- 3D Myocardial Contrast Echocardiography (MCE) provides a noninvasive and accurate method for mapping myocardial perfusion defects.
- This technique enables precise quantification of the ischemic region at risk in murine models.
- The validated MCE approach is valuable for assessing novel therapeutic agents in ischemia/reperfusion injury studies.
