In vivo MR angiography and velocity measurement in mice coronary arteries at 9.4 T: assessment of coronary flow velocity reserve.

PURPOSE: To demonstrate the feasibility of coronary magnetic resonance (MR) angiography in living mice and to evaluate a dynamic MR angiographic method for coronary flow measurement at 9.4-T field strength. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was conducted according to European law and was in full compliance with National Institutes of Health recommendations for animal care and a local institutional animal care committee. Mice were anesthetized by using isoflurane. First, time-of-flight MR angiography was performed in 10 mice to measure coronary diameters at 80-mum isotropic resolution. Second, left coronary artery (LCA) velocity measurements were performed at seven cardiac phases in nine other mice to assess the velocity curve profile. Third, coronary velocities were measured at the middiastolic phase in 13 mice at rest and during adenosine-induced hyperemia to calculate coronary flow velocity reserve (CFVR). The Pearson coefficient compared the correlation between isoflurane dose and CFVR. Paired t tests compared R-R intervals and respiratory rates between rest and hyperemia. RESULTS: Proximal diameters were, respectively, 404 mum +/- 34 [standard deviation] and 259 mum +/- 22 for the LCAs and the right coronary arteries, which were in accordance with reported values. The velocity curve profile throughout the cardiac cycle was similar to values from the literature. Baseline and hyperemic velocities were, respectively, 19.0 cm/sec +/- 4.4 and 33.7 cm/sec +/- 4.7 (P<.001), resulting in a CFVR of 1.77 +/- 0.19. CFVR did not correlate with isoflurane dose (r = 0.05, P = .88). R-R intervals shortened by 2.5% during hyperemia (P = .04). Respiratory rates showed no difference between rest and hyperemia (P = .39). CONCLUSION: High-spatial-resolution three-dimensional coronary MR angiography is feasible in living mice. Dynamic MR angiography depicts coronary velocity changes throughout the cardiac cycle and between rest and maximum hyperemia, providing a tool for CFVR assessment.

Application of MRI phase-difference mapping to assessment of vascular concentrations of BMS agent in mice.

Direct quantitation of contrast agent concentration can be performed using dynamic susceptibility contrast MRI. This method is based on phase imaging and administration of paramagnetic agents such as gadolinium-chelates. This technique has only been applied on humans or primates. However, numerous research models have been developed on small animals like mice. For this reason, the aim of this work was the application of this MRI technique, allowing the direct quantitation of the contrast agent concentrations in vivo, in the mouse vascular system at high field. For this purpose, Dy-DOTA has been preferred to Gd-DOTA due to a lower T(2)* effect. Dy-DOTA shifts in Larmor frequency were measured by phase difference mapping, using fast gradient-echo imaging at short echo times. Such an acquisition sequence allowed the limitation of susceptibility artifacts at high magnetic fields and phase wrapping. As demonstrated in a phantom oriented parallel to the static magnetic field, it is possible to measure contrast agent concentrations between 0 and 10 mm with an uncertainty of about 100 microm. Finally, the method was applied on living mice at 4.7 T. After the bolus injection, the evolution of contrast agent concentrations was assessed in brain blood vessels parallel to B(0). Long-term disappearance of contrast agent was monitored at high spatial resolution every 15 s. Alternatively, lower resolved images at 0.72 s time-resolution allowed preliminary assessment of arterial input functions. The feasibility of quantitative bolus-tracking in small rodents opens the way for comprehensive descriptions of flow and over time-dependent biological processes, especially in pathological murine models.

Blood velocity assessment using 3D bright-blood time-resolved magnetic resonance angiography.

Blood velocity is a functional parameter that is not easily assessed noninvasively, especially in small animals. A new noninvasive method that uses magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) to measure blood flows is proposed. This method is based on the time-of-flight (TOF) phenomenon. By initially suppressing the signal from the stationary spins in the area of interest, it is possible to sequentially visualize only the signal from the moving spins entering a given volume. With this method, 3D cine images of the blood flow can be generated by positive contrast, with unparalleled spatial (<200 microm) and temporal resolutions (<10 ms/image). As a result, it is possible to measure flow in sinuous paths. The present method was applied in vivo to measure the blood velocity in mouse carotid arteries. Because of its robustness and simplicity of implementation, this method has numerous potential applications for fundamental studies in small animal models.