Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 17, 2026
Histological Quantification of Chronic Myocardial Infarct in Rats
Published on: December 11, 2016
Infarct size assessment in mice
Marielle Scherrer-Crosbie1, Ana Clara T Rodrigues, Ryuji Hataishi
1Cardiac Ultrasound Laboratory, Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. marielle@crosbie.com
Abstract:
Genetically modified mice are used extensively in models of ischemia reperfusion (I/R) and nonreperfused myocardial infarction (MI) to gain insights into pathways involved in these pathologies. Echocardiography is an ideal noninvasive tool to serially monitor the cardiac murine phenotype. The present review details the surgical aspects of I/R and MI models and the measurement of MI size by pathology techniques and the input of echocardiographic techniques including the extent of wall motion abnormality and of perfusion defects using myocardial contrast echocardiography in the assessment of murine area at risk and MI size.
Insights
This review covers mouse models of myocardial infarction (MI) and ischemia reperfusion (I/R). It details surgical methods and uses echocardiography to assess cardiac damage and perfusion in these critical cardiovascular research models.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Research
- Animal Models
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- Genetically modified mice are crucial for studying myocardial infarction (MI) and ischemia reperfusion (I/R) injury.
- Understanding these pathologies requires precise methods to assess cardiac damage.
- Echocardiography offers a noninvasive approach for serial monitoring of cardiac function in murine models.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review surgical techniques for creating I/R and MI models in mice.
- To outline pathological methods for measuring infarct size.
- To highlight echocardiographic techniques for assessing murine area at risk and MI size.
Main Methods:
- Detailed description of surgical procedures for inducing I/R and MI in mice.
- Pathological assessment of myocardial infarct size.
- Application of echocardiography, including wall motion analysis.
- Utilizing myocardial contrast echocardiography to evaluate perfusion defects.
Main Results:
- Surgical models provide reproducible methods for studying cardiac I/R and MI.
- Pathology offers quantitative measurement of infarct size.
- Echocardiography enables serial, noninvasive assessment of cardiac phenotype and injury extent.
Conclusions:
- Integrated pathological and echocardiographic assessments are vital for accurate evaluation of murine I/R and MI models.
- These methods enhance the understanding of cardiovascular disease mechanisms in research settings.
- Echocardiography is a powerful tool for longitudinal monitoring in cardiac murine studies.
