PET/CT Imaging in Mouse Models of Myocardial Ischemia

Table 1

Principal characteristics of small animal imaging techniques in cardiovascular research.

Imaging technique	Physical principle	Spatial resolution	Advantages	Disadvantages
UBM	High frequency sound waves	50 μm	Real-time cardiovascular morphofunctional assessment	Strongly operator dependent, difficult assessing of right ventricle
CT	X-rays	100 μm	Left ventricle morphology	Radiation dose
MRI	High intensity magnetic field	200 μm	High tissue contrast and functional parameters	Most expensive and availability
SPECT	Gamma emitters	Max 0.62 mm FWHM	Molecular imaging, myocardial metabolism and perfusion, 10^−10-10^−11 M sensitivity	Low spatial resolution, radiation dose
PET	Positron emitters	Max 1 mm FWHM	Molecular imaging, myocardial metabolism and perfusion, 10^−11-10^−12 M sensitivity	Low spatial resolution, radiation dose

UBM: ultrasound biomicroscopy; CT: computed tomography; MRI: magnetic resonance imaging; SPECT: single-photon emission computed tomography; PET: positron emission tomography; FWHM: full width at half maximum.