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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 1, 2026

Quantification of Mouse Heart Left Ventricular Function, Myocardial Strain, and Hemodynamic Forces by Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Imaging
11:13

Quantification of Mouse Heart Left Ventricular Function, Myocardial Strain, and Hemodynamic Forces by Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Published on: May 24, 2021

Improved method for quantification of regional cardiac function in mice using phase-contrast MRI.

Erica Dall'Armellina1, Bernd A Jung, Craig A Lygate

  • 1Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom.

Magnetic Resonance in Medicine
|June 16, 2011
PubMed
Summary

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This study introduces an improved method for using phase-contrast MRI to measure heart wall movement in mice. By adapting clinical imaging techniques, the researchers established baseline motion patterns for the mouse heart, providing a detailed look at how different heart layers move throughout a full heartbeat. This approach allows for precise tracking of heart muscle function, which could help scientists better study heart disease in mouse models.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiovascular physiology research within tissue phase mapping
  • Diagnostic imaging and biomedical engineering

Background:

No prior work had resolved the technical challenges of applying clinical imaging protocols to small rodent models. Researchers often struggle to capture the rapid, complex movements of the mouse heart wall. Tissue phase mapping provides high-resolution data in human subjects but remains underutilized in preclinical settings. This gap motivated the adaptation of these protocols for smaller anatomical structures. Prior research has shown that standard imaging often lacks the temporal precision needed for detailed myocardial velocity analysis. That uncertainty drove the need for a standardized approach to quantify regional wall motion. It was already known that accurate velocity encoding requires specific contrast conditions to distinguish tissue from blood flow. This study addresses the limitations of current diagnostic tools by refining imaging parameters for murine applications.

Purpose Of The Study:

The aim of this study was to implement and optimize tissue phase mapping for a comprehensive assessment of murine transmural wall motion. Researchers sought to overcome the limited application of this clinical technique in small rodent hearts. They intended to establish baseline values for regional motion patterns to facilitate better diagnostic comparisons. The team focused on providing a detailed analysis of the entire cardiac cycle. This included characterizing both epicardial and endocardial motion patterns within the mouse heart. The study addressed the need for high temporal and spatial resolution in preclinical cardiac imaging. By adapting the American Heart Association's 17-segment model, the authors aimed to standardize the quantification of regional function. This work was motivated by the potential to improve investigations into human heart disease using mouse models.

Keywords:
magnetic resonance imagingmyocardial velocitytransmural motionpreclinical imaging

Frequently Asked Questions

The researchers propose that tissue phase mapping allows for the detailed assessment of regional myocardial velocities. By utilizing this technique, they captured transmural wall motion patterns, including both epicardial and endocardial movements, throughout the entire cardiac cycle in mice.

The authors utilized the American Heart Association's 17-segment model, which is typically reserved for clinical diagnostics, to standardize the regional motion analysis of the mouse heart.

The researchers found that black-blood contrast is necessary to obtain reproducible velocity encoding. Without this specific contrast, the signal from the blood pool interferes with the accurate measurement of myocardial tissue velocities.

The study employed phase-contrast magnetic resonance imaging to characterize regional cardiac function. This data type provides the high temporal and spatial resolution required to track rapid myocardial movements.

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In Vivo Quantitative Assessment of Myocardial Structure, Function, Perfusion and Viability Using Cardiac Micro-computed Tomography
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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

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Last Updated: Jun 1, 2026

Quantification of Mouse Heart Left Ventricular Function, Myocardial Strain, and Hemodynamic Forces by Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Imaging
11:13

Quantification of Mouse Heart Left Ventricular Function, Myocardial Strain, and Hemodynamic Forces by Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Imaging

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In Vivo Quantitative Assessment of Myocardial Structure, Function, Perfusion and Viability Using Cardiac Micro-computed Tomography
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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

Main Methods:

The review approach involved adapting clinical phase-contrast magnetic resonance imaging protocols for high-resolution murine heart analysis. Investigators implemented specific pulse sequences to optimize temporal and spatial data acquisition. They applied black-blood contrast techniques to minimize signal interference from the blood pool during imaging. The team utilized the American Heart Association's 17-segment model to categorize regional myocardial motion. Data collection spanned the entire cardiac cycle to capture dynamic wall displacement. Researchers validated the methodology through a proof-of-principle application in an ischemia-reperfusion injury model. They performed a detailed comparative analysis of epicardial and endocardial velocity patterns. This systematic process ensured the reproducibility of velocity encoding across different experimental subjects.

Main Results:

The strongest finding indicates that tissue phase mapping permits detailed assessment of regional myocardial velocities in mice. The researchers successfully established baseline values for regional motion patterns using the 17-segment model. They observed distinct motion characteristics for both epicardial and endocardial layers throughout the cardiac cycle. The implementation of black-blood contrast proved essential for obtaining reproducible velocity encoding results. A proof-of-principle application confirmed the utility of the method in an ischemia-reperfusion model. The data provided a comprehensive characterization of transmural wall motion previously unavailable in murine studies. These results demonstrate that clinical imaging protocols can be effectively translated to small animal models. The study confirms that high temporal and spatial resolution is achievable for measuring rapid cardiac movements in mice.

Conclusions:

The authors propose that tissue phase mapping enables precise evaluation of regional myocardial velocities in mouse hearts. This technique successfully characterizes both epicardial and endocardial motion patterns across the entire cardiac cycle. The researchers demonstrate that black-blood contrast is necessary to achieve reproducible velocity measurements in these small subjects. Their findings establish baseline motion values using a standardized 17-segment model adapted for murine anatomy. The study provides a proof-of-principle application within an ischemia-reperfusion model to validate the methodology. Future investigations are warranted to explore systolic and diastolic function in various genetically or surgically manipulated models. This approach offers a robust framework for assessing regional cardiac performance in preclinical heart disease research. The evidence suggests that this optimized protocol enhances the diagnostic utility of magnetic resonance imaging for small animal studies.

The researchers measured transmural myocardial velocities, which describe the speed and direction of heart wall movement across the thickness of the muscle during the cardiac cycle.

The authors propose that this method has potential for investigating systolic and diastolic functions in genetically and surgically manipulated mouse models of human heart disease.