MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING OF ATHEROSCLEROSIS

描述(改编自申请人的摘要)：心血管疾病 是我们国家的主要死因，平均导致一人死亡 每33秒，估计在1998年耗资2.74亿元。 美国。当务之急是更好地了解这种疾病并成为 能够评估预防和治疗方法。朝着这个目标前进，动物们 模型为研究干预的发病机制和效果提供了一种手段 以高度受控和可重现的方式。非侵入性成像 动物模型中的动脉粥样硬化大大减少了动物的数量 为了评估统计上的重大变化，需要。 本项目致力于开发和验证高级 磁共振成像方法无创性地量化进展 动脉粥样硬化的消退可能是最好的动物模型 动脉硬化。这个模型是一只经过基因工程改造的小鼠 导致高胆固醇血症。复杂的动脉粥样硬化病变 这种老鼠的体型与人类的体型非常相似。的大小 在这个模型中形成的动脉和动脉粥样硬化病变 微成像方法的发展，这是本建议的目的 工作。作为这项工作的一部分而开发的技术将具有广泛的 适用于小动物的成像。特别是，实现以下目标的手段 对心血管系统进行成像，包括合并运动 补偿技术，将被开发。此外，基线(非 疾病)将建立该模型的外观和动脉粥样硬化的图像 将与组织病理学相关。

DESCRIPTION (Adapted from the applicant's abstract): Cardiovascular disease is our nation's leading cause of death, resulting in an average of one death every 33 seconds and costing an estimated $274,000,000,000 in 1998 in the United States. It is imperative to better understand this disease and to be able to assess prevention and treatment methods. Towards this goal, animal models provide a means to study the pathogenesis and effects of intervention in a highly controlled and reproducible fashion. Noninvasive imaging of atherosclerosis in animal models greatly decreases the number of animals needed in order to assess statistically significant changes. This project concentrates on the development and validation of advanced magnetic resonance imaging methods to noninvasively quantify the progression and regression of atherosclerosis in what is probably the best animal model of atherosclerosis. This model is a mouse that has been genetically engineered to develop hypercholesterolemia. The complex atherosclerosis lesions that form in this mouse are very similar to those found in humans. The size of the arteries and the atherosclerotic lesions that form in this model necessitate the development of microimaging methods that are the purpose of this proposed work. The techniques developed as part of this work would have broad applicability to the imaging of small animals. In particular, the means to image the cardiovascular system, including the incorporation of motion compensating techniques, will be developed. In addition, the baseline (non- disease) appearance for this model will be established and images of atheroma will be correlated with histopathology.