Lucas Abraham Citro1, Sarah E. Sansom2,
Mahmood Khan2,3, Mickey Mizzell Martin2, Periannan
Kuppusamy1,2, Terry S. Elton2,4
1Internal Medicine, The
Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States; 2Davis Heart
& Lung Research Institute, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH,
United States; 3Internal Medicine, Division of Cardiovascular
Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States; 4College
of Medicine, Department of Pathology, The Ohio State University, Columbus,
OH, United States
We have utilized cardiac magnetic resonance imaging, for the first time, to assess the cardiac functional defects of the left (LV) and right ventricles (RV) of Ts65Dn mice, the most-studied murine model of Down syndrome. Using a vertical-bore 11.7T MRI system, T1-weighted gradient echo FLASH-cine images were acquired to examine ventricular function and interventricular septal volume. The Ts65Dn mice showed significant decreases in LV ES and ED mass, EDV, ESV, SV, ED RV mass, and ED IVS volume. These results suggest that the extensive cardiac functional abnormalities present in Ts65Dn mice can be detected using high-field cardiac magnetic resonance imaging.