Abstract #0964

Leenders W, Heerschap A, Barth M, Hamans B

Due to the small size of the mouse brain, visualizing its vascular structure is a challenge. The novel MR method of susceptibility weighted imaging (SWI) allows for small brain vessels (mostly veins) to be visualized. Nevertheless the method is not sufficient for detailed imaging of mouse brain vasculature. For this purpose we introduced SWI after loading with USPIO as blood pool contrast to increase local susceptibility. Substantially enhanced visibility of the presence of both large and small vessels was realized in this way, which opens the way to study brain vasculature in mouse models in a new way.