Ex vivo diffusion tensor MRI reflects microscopic structural remodeling associated with aging and disease progression in normal and cardiomyopathic Syrian hamsters |
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Authors: | Wen Li Ming Lu Suhanti Banerjee Jia Zhong Allen Ye Joseph Molter Xin Yu |
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Affiliation: | 1. Department of Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA;2. Case Center for Imaging Research, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA;3. Department of Radiology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA;4. Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA |
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Abstract: | Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a major cause of mortality and morbidity in cardiac patients. Aging is often an ignored etiology of pathological conditions. Quantification of DCM and aging associated cardiac structural remodeling is important in guiding and evaluating therapeutic interventions. Diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging (DTMRI) has recently been used for nondestructive characterization of three‐dimensional myofiber structure. In this study, we explored the potential of DTMRI in delineating microscopic structural remodeling in aging and DCM hearts. Six month (n = 10) and nine month old (n = 11) DCM (TO‐2) hamsters and their age‐matched controls (F1β) were characterized. Both aging and DCM hearts showed increased diffusivity and decreased diffusion anisotropy. DTMRI images of DCM hearts also revealed a subgroup of imaging pixels characterized by decreased radial diffusivity and increased FA. The location of these pixels showed qualitative agreement with regions of calcium deposition determined by X‐ray CT imaging. Histological analysis confirmed expanded extracellular space in aging and DCM hearts as well as substantial calcium deposition in DCM hearts. These results suggest that DTMRI may provide a noninvasive technique to delineate structural remodeling associated with aging and DCM progression at the tissue and cellular level without the use of an exogenous contrast agent. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. |
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Keywords: | aging calcium deposition diffusion tensor MRI dilated cardiomyopathy fibrosis |
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