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Abstract #0650

MR Histology Of Advanced Atherosclerotic Lesions Of ApoE-knockout Mice

Naumova A, Yarnykh V, Yuan C, Rosenfeld M, Ferguson M
University of Washington

Transgenic mice are widely used as animal models for the study of atherosclerosis. The major challenges for histological MR imaging of atherosclerotic lesions in mice are the very high-resolution requirement, the need to image long vessel segments, and prohibitively long scan time. This study has shown an ability of non-invasively determination of advanced atherosclerotic lesions composition and precise quantification of the major plaque components in the different vascular beds. A time-efficient microimaging protocol for MR histological imaging on mice was developed. Advanced atherosclerotic lesions in ApoE-knockout mice are characterized by high calcification and presence of the large fibrofatty nodules.