Imaging in Cardiovascular Research

Despite enormous investment into cardiovascular research on all levels worldwide, cardiovascular events such as myocardial infarction, heart failure, tachyarrhythmia or stroke remain the major causes for death and inability in all developed countries. Conventional clinical cardiovascular imaging nowadays provides high-resolution visualisation of the morphology of vessels and the myocardium. To translate the available patient imaging technologies into animals, especially mice where genetic technologies can be used to induce human-like pathophysiologies, is of great interest for cardiovascular research. Furthermore, new imaging biomarkers for targeting molecular processes such as inflammation in atherosclerosis are being developed which have to be tested and optimised in animal models (again mice are of greatest interest here) before potentially translated into the clinics. Imaging of the heart and the vessels of small rodents such as mice poses significant challenges for small animal imaging systems with respect to the spatial and temporal resolution. This chapter elucidates the relevant cardiovascular pathologies and clinical challenges, reviews animal models of cardiovascular disease and shows examples of applications of small animal imaging by CT, ultrasound, MRI, SPECT, PET and optical imaging.