Cardiac MRI detects functional deterioration prior to apoptosis in a mouse model of doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity using tissue phase mapping

Doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity is an important limiting factor preventing dose-effective cancer treatment, and the associated cardiac sequelae appears to be mediated through cardiac myocyte apoptosis. Multiple studies have suggested there is potential for cardiovascular MRI (CMR) multiparametric analysis to detect doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity. In the current study, we performed multiparametric CMR including DENSE strain assessment and tissue phase mapping (TPM) for myocardial velocity measurement in a mouse model of doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity. Our results suggest that advanced CMR functional assessment shows promise in identifying treatment-related decrease in myocardial longitudinal systolic and diastolic velocity prior to the onset of cardiac myocyte apoptosis.