Marco Parczyk1, Volker Herold1, Gert Klug2, Peter Michael Jakob1, Wolfgang Rudolf Bauer2, Eberhard Rommel1
1Departement of Experimental Physics 5, University of Wrzburg, Wrzburg, Bavaria, Germany; 2Medizinische Universittsklinik, University of Wrzburg, Wrzburg, Bavaria, Germany
An MR-technique to measure the pulse wave velocity in the murine aorta is presented here. Aortic stiffness increases in early stages of arteriosclerosis and is assessable by pulse wave velocity (PWV) MR-measurements. So far literature reported only MR-studies in larger animals and humans. As pulse wave and flow velocities are similar in humans and mice, but dimensions are about 20-times larger in humans, the challenges in this project were especially the temporal and spatial resolutions needed. The MR-technique was validated and pulse wave velocities in eight-month-old apolipoprotein E deficient mice and a control group were determined.