MRI of early myocardial ischemia in a pig model and feasibility of MR-guided balloon occlusion for real-time time ischemia imaging

Motivation: Ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) in pigs is a critical area of research in cardiology, mimicking human myocardial ischemic injury and reperfusion response. Current IRI studies have shown inconsistent results. Goal(s): To assess myocardial injury following IRI using CMR and to evaluate the feasibility of MRI-guided balloon occlusion enabling real-time ischemia monitoring. Approach: Twenty pigs were subjected to myocardial ischemia, followed by CMR post-reperfusion. Additionally, a fully MR-guided balloon occlusion was tested in two animals monitoring ischemia in real time. Results: Prolonged ischemia (60-90minutes) led to elevated T1 and T2 values and positive LGE. MRI-guided catheterization was feasible and enabled visualization of ischemic regions. Impact: This study provides a detailed assessment of CMR findings of early reperfusion injury and demonstrates, that MR-guided coronary balloon occlusion is feasible. This may enabling real-time imaging of myocardial injury formation.