Abstract

MRI of atherosclerosis: from mouse to man

Author(s): Alkystis Phinikaridou and Rene Botnar

Atherosclerosis and its thrombotic complications still remain the major cause of morbidity and mortality in western societies. Atherogenesis in humans generally occurs over decades, and lesion evolution and growth may vary according to heredity, gender, lifestyle and environmental conditions. However, the development of animal models of experimental atherosclerosis and the emergence of several imaging modalities have provided indispensable knowledge to our understanding of the fundamental mechanisms of disease progression and allowed the in vivo detection of atherosclerosis in animals and humans. MRI has evolved as one of the leading noninvasive imaging modalities to visualize the vessel wall with high spatial resolution and without ionizing radiation. This article summarizes the currently available animal models of experimentally induced atherosclerosis and the application of MRI in preclinical and clinical imaging studies.