A fast protocol for infarct quantification in mice

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. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2013;38:468-473. (c) 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.