Abstract #3546

Dual Q-Ball Imaging Reveals Intravoxel Orientation Distribution Functions for Laminar Structures in the Heart.

Hans Dierckx¹, Alan P. Benson^2,3, Stephen H. Gilbert^2,3, Mike E. Ries^3,4, Arun V. Holden^2,3, Henri Verschelde¹, Olivier Bernus^2,3

¹Department of Mathematical Physics and Astronomy, Ghent University, Gent, Belgium; ²Institute of Membrane and Systems Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK; ³Multidisciplinary Cardiovascular Research Centre, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK; ⁴School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK

Knowledge of both fiber and sheet organization is crucial for understanding of mechanical and electrophysiological processes in heart tissue. Diffusion tensor imaging is able to provide this information in regions where a single dominant fiber or sheet structure is present. For probing more complex fiber architecture, one needs high angular resolution methods such as Q-Ball Imaging (QBI).