Accelerated dual-contrast quantitative first-pass perfusion MRI of the mouse heart with compressed sensing

Background Myocardial blood flow (MBF) imaging in gene-modified mice may be used to elucidate molecular mechanisms that underlie coronary vascular function and dysfunction. First pass Gd-enhanced MRI is well-established in humans and has been recently investigated in mice[1-3]. The rapid heart rate and small size of the heart present challenges to performing quantitative first pass imaging in mice. A dual contrast acquisition simplifies the procedure (one Gd injection) and may provide more accurate results because the arterial input function (AIF) and tissue function (TF) are acquired under identical conditions. We developed a compressed sensing (CS)-accelerated first pass sequence for mice with a dual contrast acquisition.