Figure 1

Serial in-vivo DTI of the mouse heart. Each mouse was imaged in 24hrs and 2-3wks after ischemia reperfusion. The mean diffusivity (MD) maps clearly showed that MD in the injured anternolateral wall increased acutely (24hrs after injury) and subsequently returned towards baseline as the myocardium healed (A, B, C, E). Corresponding to the changes in MD, fractional anisotropy (FA) decreased acutely and returned to baseline 2-3wks after injury (F). (C-D) The left coronary artery, when present in the image, can be used for internal standardization and control. MD in the vessel and its branches (red arrow, C, D) will be significantly higher than MD in normal or healing myocardium.