Imaging of Small Animal Peripheral Artery Disease Models: Recent Advancements and Translational Potential

Abstract

Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is a broad disorder encompassing multiple forms of arterial disease outside of the heart. As such, PAD development is a multifactorial process with a variety of manifestations. For example, aneurysms are pathological expansions of an artery that can lead to rupture, while ischemic atherosclerosis reduces blood flow, increasing the risk of claudication, poor wound healing, limb amputation, and stroke. Current PAD treatment is often ineffective or associated with serious risks, largely because these disorders are commonly undiagnosed or misdiagnosed. Active areas of research are focused on detecting and characterizing deleterious arterial changes at early stages using non-invasive imaging strategies, such as ultrasound, as well as emerging technologies like photoacoustic imaging. Earlier disease detection and characterization could improve interventional strategies, leading to better prognosis in PAD patients. While rodents are being used to investigate PAD pathophysiology, imaging of these animal models has been underutilized. This review focuses on structural and molecular information and disease progression revealed by recent imaging efforts of aortic, cerebral, and peripheral vascular disease models in mice, rats, and rabbits. Effective translation to humans involves better understanding of underlying PAD pathophysiology to develop novel therapeutics and apply non-invasive imaging techniques in the clinic.

Recommendation on Design, Execution, and Reporting of Animal Atherosclerosis Studies: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association

“…207 Although noninvasive imaging holds promise, the resolution of these modalities provides a barrier to accurately determining lesion size in experimental atherosclerosis, particularly in mice. Therefore, although development of noninvasive measurement should be encouraged, 208 current imaging systems do not provide reliable acquisition of lesion size and characteristics for mouse atherosclerotic lesions in vivo.…”

Chronic Hindlimb Ischemia Assessment; Quantitative Evaluation Using Laser Doppler in a Rodent Model of Surgically Induced Peripheral Arterial Occlusion

“…Computed tomography angiography (CT-angiography) has high spatial and temporal resolution and its key benefit is that it can provide visualization of vessel anatomy and gross morphology, commonly with a vascular contrast agent. However, it lacks the superior soft tissue differentiation [10].…”

Special Issue: Annual Education Issue Writing a Review Article for Publication as Part of a Graduate Engineering Course

“…Here, we describe our multiple experiences leading groups of engineering graduate students, as part of a course, to write comprehensive review papers with the goal of ultimately having them published in established, peer-reviewed journals [1][2][3]. Similar to what others have done [4], these efforts have been conducted as a natural outreach of graduate-level course subjects, Cardiovascular BME and Imaging (CJG) and Mechanobiology (CPN), in which no authoritative textbooks exist, and students spend significant time learning from a careful read of the primary scientific literature.…”