Abstract #3400

MR Diffusion Tensor Investigation of Transmural Heterogeneity of Myocardium Structural Remodeling in Postinfarct Porcine Model

Yin Wu^1,2, Ed X. Wu^2,3

¹Paul C. Lauterbur Research Centre for Biomedical Imaging, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China, People's Republic of; ²Laboratory of Biomedical Imaging & Signal Processing, the University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong; ³Department of Electrical & Electronic Engineering, the University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong

Previous DTI studies of infarcted heart predominantly focused on the overall myocardial diffusion changes within a certain region. In this study, transmural heterogeneity of myocardium structural remodeling was examined in postinfarct porcine model. Significant reduction of mean apparent diffusion coefficient, axial and radial diffusivities was found to occur earlier around endocardium, indicating that myocardium structural remodeling is transmurally heterogeneous and the endocardium is more vulnerable to infarct injury. The experimental findings suggest the necessity of examining transmural variation of myocardium structural remodeling, and demonstrate DTI is a sensitive tool to reveal the subtle change of tissue structure at cellular level.