Quantitative myocardial perfusion measurement using CT perfusion: a validation study in a porcine model of reperfused acute myocardial infarction.

We validated a CT perfusion technique with beam hardening (BH) correction for quantitative measurement of myocardial blood flow (MBF). Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) was created in four pigs by occluding the distal LAD for 1 h followed by reperfusion. MBF was measured from dynamic contrast enhanced CT (DCE-CT) scanning of the heart, with correction of cardiac motion and BH, before ischemic insult and on day 7, 10 and 14 post.

Cell tracking and therapy evaluation of bone marrow monocytes and stromal cells using SPECT and CMR in a canine model of myocardial infarction.

Background: The clinical application of stem cell therapy for myocardial infarction will require the development of methods to monitor treatment and pre-clinical assessment in a large animal model, to determine its effectiveness and the optimum cell population, route of delivery, timing, and flow milieu.

Objectives: To establish a model for a) in vivo tracking to monitor cell engraftment after autologous transplantation and b) concurrent measurement of infarct evolution and remodeling.

Methods: We evaluated 22 dogs (8 sham controls, 7 treated with autologous bone marrow monocytes, and 7 with stromal cells) using both imaging of 111Indium-tropolone labeled cells and late gadolinium enhancement CMR for up to12 weeks after a 3 hour coronary occlusion.

A method for quantitative cell tracking using SPECT for the evaluation of myocardial stem cell therapy.

Purpose: A promising SPECT-based method for evaluating stem cells therapy uses (111)In-labelled cells, transfected with a reporter gene. Cells are first transplanted to the infarct, and subsequently interrogated for transgenic expression using a systemic injection of an (131)I-labelled reporter probe. The method is impeded by the physical effects of scatter, (131)I/(111)In cross-talk, and attenuation.

Determining the minimum number of detectable cardiac-transplanted 111In-tropolone-labelled bone-marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells by SPECT.

In this work, we determined the minimum number of detectable 111In-tropolone-labelled bone-marrow-derived stem cells from the maximum activity per cell which did not affect viability, proliferation and differentiation, and the minimum detectable activity (MDA) of 111In by SPECT. Canine bone marrow mesenchymal cells were isolated, cultured and expanded. A number of samples, each containing 5x10(6) cells, were labelled with 111In-tropolone from 0.

Magnetic resonance image-guided transcatheter closure of atrial septal defects.

Background: Recent developments in cardiac MRI have extended the potential spectrum of diagnostic and interventional applications. The purpose of this study was to test the ability of MRI to perform transcatheter closures of secundum type atrial septal defects (ASD) and to assess ASD size and changes in right cardiac chamber volumes in the same investigation.

Methods And Results: In 7 domestic swine (body weight, 38+/-13 kg), an ASD (Q(p):Q(s)=1.

Corrosive behaviour of Amplatzer devices in experimental and biological environments.

Purpose: Nitinol, a nickel-titanium alloy, is a valuable material in the construction of interventional endoluminal devices because of its biocompatibility, super elasticity, high resiliency and shape memory. The possibility of nickel toxicity has been raised with devices constructed of Nitinol. Our investigation examines the long-term corrosive behavior of this alloy in experimental and biological environments.

Creation of an intra-atrial communication with a new Amplatzer shunt prosthesis: preliminary results in a swine model.

A nitinol shunt device was applied in six minipigs to create a precise intra-atrial shunt. This self-expanding shunt device consists of two retention disks of 2-8 mm, a 4 mm connecting waist with a 10 mm eccentric hole. It requires a 7 Fr introducer sheath.