Towards Quantification of Tissue Sodium Concentration in Mice with Acute Myocardial Infarction

Mahon L. Maguire¹, L. Stork¹, Kiterie Faller¹, Debra Medway¹, Craig A. Lygate¹, Stefan Neubauer¹, Jurgen E. Schneider¹

Myocardial sodium concentration increases rapidly following ischemic injury and is an early marker of electrophysiological disruption and myocardial injury. This study sought to measure the changes in myocardial sodium concentration in a surgical model of acute myocardial infarction in mouse 24 hours post surgery. Multi-slice high resolution ²³Na chemical shift imaging was used in conjunction with late gadolinium enhanced 3D imaging to assess tissue sodium concentration as well as infarct size and location. An elevation of myocardial sodium concentration was observed in the region of the infarct compared to remote myocardium; no such elevation was observed in healthy control mice.