In vivo high-resolution imaging of the injured rat spinal cord using a 3.0T clinical MR scanner

Abstract

Purpose: To investigate the feasibility of obtaining high-resolution MR images for the detection of pathological changes occurring in the injured rat spinal cord with a routine clinical 3.0T imaging system. Materials and Methods: Adult female Fischer 344 rats received thoracic spine contusion injuries. In vivo MR imaging was performed on days 1 and 43 postinjury with a clinical head 3.0T imaging system equipped with a dedicated small animal 4-channel phased array spine surface coil using T2-weighted turbo spin-echo and T1-weighted spin-echo sequences. Results: The acquired images provide good spatial resolution allowing reliable gray/white matter differentiation in the intact spinal cord as well as detection of hemorrhage, edema, and cystic degenerative changes in the injured rat spinal cord as confirmed by correlation with structural alterations in histological sections. Conclusion: Results from the present study demonstrate that a routine clinical MR imaging system can be employed for noninvasive analysis of pathological changes occurring in the injured rat spinal cord and thus might represent a more broadly available, powerful tool to monitor the effects of experimental therapeutic interventions in vivo. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.