High-field magnetic resonance microscopy of aortic plaques in a mouse model of atherosclerosis

We describe an ex-vivo, high-resolution MRI method that allows the 3 dimensional imaging of the vessel for aortic plaque visualization and quantification.Materials and methodsAortas from apolipoprotein-E-deficient (apoE−/−) mice fed an atherogenic diet (group 1) or a control diet (group 2) were subjected to 14  T MR imaging using a 3D gradient echo sequence. The obtained data sets were reconstructed (Matlab), segmented, and analyzed (Avizo). The aortas were further sectioned and subjected to traditional histological analysis (Oil-Red O and hematoxylin staining) for comparison.ResultsA resolution up to 15  × 10x10 μm3 revealed that plaque burden (mm3) was significantly (p <  0.05) higher in group 1 (0.41 ± 0.25,n = 4) than in group 2 (0.01 ± 0.01,n = 3). The achieved resolution provided similar detail on the plaque and the vessel wall morphology compared with histology. Digital image segmentation of the aorta's lumen, plaque, and wall offered three-dimensional visualizations of the entire, intact aortas.Discussion14  T MR microscopy provided histology-like details of pathologically relevant vascular lesions. This work may provide the path research needs to take to enable plaque characterization in clinical applications.
Source: Magnetic Resonance Materials in Physics, Biology and Medicine - Category: Materials Science Source Type: research