Free-breathing gradient recalled echo-based CMR in a swine heart failure model

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Imaging
• Medical Technology
• Animal Models

Background:

• Established protocols exist for inducing myocardial infarction (MI) and assessing cardiac function using cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) in swine.
• Accurate, high-resolution imaging is crucial for characterizing cardiac function in preclinical heart failure models.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a novel CMR data acquisition technique using smart-signal gradient recalled echo (GRE)-based array sequences.
• To evaluate this technique in a free-breathing swine model of heart failure induced by coronary artery occlusion.
• To demonstrate the capability for high spatial and temporal resolution imaging in this model.

Main Methods:

• Nine Yucatan mini swine underwent CMR imaging before and 1 month after closed-chest left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) occlusion/reperfusion.
• A novel CMR technique utilizing GRE-based array sequences was employed for data acquisition in a free-breathing setting.
• Image analysis focused on assessing cardiac function parameters like left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and end-diastolic volume (EDV).

Main Results:

• The novel CMR technique successfully produced clinical-grade images with high spatial and temporal resolution.
• Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) significantly decreased from 59.3±2.4% at baseline to 48.1±3.7% 1 month post-MI (P=0.029).
• Average end-diastolic volume (EDV) significantly increased from 55.2±1.7 mL at baseline to 74.2±4.2 mL 1 month post-MI (P=0.001).

Conclusions:

• The developed CMR technique with GRE-based array sequences is effective for high-resolution imaging in free-breathing swine.
• This method allows for robust characterization of cardiac function changes following myocardial infarction in a relevant animal model.
• The findings support the utility of this novel CMR approach for advancing heart failure research.