Neil Peter Jerome1, Jessica K R Boult1, Matthew Orton1, James d'Arcy1, David J. Collins1, Dow-Mu Koh2, Simon P. Robinson1
1CRUK-EPSRC Cancer Imaging Centre, The Institute of Cancer Research, Sutton, Surrey, United Kingdom; 2Department of Radiology, Royal Marsden Hospital, Sutton, Surrey, United Kingdom
Preclinical studies are increasingly performed on clinical systems, using superior hardware and conferring greater clinical relevance. Limitations in signal, leading to lack of spatial resolution or insufficient signal for fitting decay curves, can be mitigated by use of an extremity loop coil with a standard head array for parallel acquisition. We demonstrate observation of time-dependent changes in T2* from normal rat kidney following administration of vasomodulators such as hydralazine, furosemide, and angiotensin II, and show the potential of such a set-up to probe homeostatic response to vasomodulation, with potential for extrapolation to renal disease and pathophysiological studies.