A fast protocol for infarct quantification in mice

Abstract

Purpose: To demonstrate and validate a late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) imaging protocol, optimized for tissue viability assessment in interventional mouse models of myocardial infarction.

Materials and methods: The method uses an efficient sampling scheme using multiple slices in a single heartbeat interleaving slice packages between alternate TRs. Sampling multiple slices instead of multiple echoes or multiple k-lines achieves higher SNR efficiency, and images covering the whole heart can be obtained in 3 min. Saturation effects are exploited for an optimum compromise between contrast and speed.

Results: The images obtained show high hyperenhancement with good contrast-to-noise. It is shown that inversion time optimization can be reliably omitted with this scheme, and that measured infarct sizes correlate well with histological measures.

Conclusion: Our protocol offers a new efficient tool for the measurement of infarct size in mouse models of heart disease.

Keywords: TI optimization; ischemia; late gadolinium enhancement (LGE); myocardial infarction.