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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
Visualizing regional myocardial blood flow in the mouse
Melissa A Krueger1, Sabine S Huke, Robb W Glenny
1Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Box 356522, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA 98195, USA. krueger@uw.edu
Circulation Research
|March 21, 2013
Summary
New methods quantify spatial blood flow in mouse organs using fluorescent microspheres. This allows for higher resolution analysis of regional blood flow patterns, aiding in the study of organ function and disease.
Area of Science:
- Physiology
- Biomedical Engineering
- Cardiovascular Research
Background:
- Assessing regional blood flow in small organs like mouse hearts is challenging due to volume and resolution limitations.
- Traditional microsphere methods are restricted to larger organs for statistical confidence and physical dissection.
- Derangements in spatial blood flow distribution can precede detectable organ function changes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate methods for quantifying and statistically comparing spatial blood flow distribution within mouse organs.
- To enable high-resolution analysis of regional blood flow patterns.
- To provide tools for investigating spatial and temporal blood flow changes.
Main Methods:
- Developed and validated statistical methods for comparing blood flow between regions and over time.
- Utilized 15-µm fluorescent microspheres for high-resolution tracking.
- Injected microspheres into isolated perfused mouse hearts to determine spatial locations and visualize flow patterns.
Main Results:
- Successfully quantified and visualized regional blood flow patterns in mouse hearts.
- Demonstrated the application of these methods in a coronary artery ligation model.
- Validated statistical approaches for comparing blood flow data.
Conclusions:
- The developed methods offer significantly higher spatial resolution for analyzing organ blood flow compared to existing techniques.
- These tools facilitate the investigation of spatial and temporal blood flow dynamics in mouse organs.
- Enables deeper understanding of how blood flow alterations impact organ function.
