Lei Xu1, 2, Jun Chen3, Meng Yin3, Kevin J. Glaser3, Qingshan Chen4, David A. Woodrum3, Richard L. Ehman3
1Radiology Department, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, United States; 2Radiology Department , Beijing Anzhen Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China; 3Radiology Department , Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, United States; 4Orthopedics Biomechanics Lab, Mayo Clinic
MRE is a noninvasive phase-contrast technique for estimating the mechanical properties of tissues. In this study, we hypothesize that changes in arterial wall stiffness, experimentally induced by formalin fixation, can be measured using MRE in ex vivo porcine aortas. In agreement with our hypothesis, the significant stiffness increase after sample fixation were clearly demonstrated by MRE and confirmed by mechanical testing. The results indicate that MRE can be used to examine the stiffness changes of the aorta. This study has provided evidence of the effectiveness of using MRE to directly assess the stiffness change in aortic wall.