Bastiaan J. van Nierop1,
Jules L. Nelissen1, Noortje A.M. Bax2, Abdallah G.
Motaal1, Larry de Graaf1, Klaas Nicolay1,
Gustav J. Strijkers1
1Biomedical
NMR, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology,
Eindhoven, Noord Brabant, Netherlands; 2Soft Tissue Biomechanics
and Engineering, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University
of Technology, Eindhoven, Noord Brabant, Netherlands
Fibrosis is an important hallmark of various cardiac pathologies. Noninvasive imaging techniques for the assessment of fibrosis are highly desired. Here, we report on in vivo 3D ultra short TE (UTE) MRI for the assessment of diffuse myocardial fibrosis in mouse pressure overload-induced hypertrophy. The in vivo signal change from short-TE to long-TE images was larger in hypertrophic as compared to control hearts. Ex vivo measurements revealed that this can be attributed to T2* changes as a consequence of the presence of diffuse fibrosis. Thus, UTE MRI could provide a noninvasive readout for diffuse fibrosis in relation to myocardial hypertrophy.