Noninvasive tissue characterization of myocardium by topical1H-and31P-nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy

Abstract
Because of its nondestructive nature, topical nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (TMR) was employed for the noninvasive evaluation of congenital cardiomyopathy (CM) in Syrian hamsters (BIO 14.6 strain). In a preliminary study, the size and pulse duration of the surface coil was determined to ensure that the detecting field covered the animal heart. The phosphate metabolite signals of the heart were distinguished from those of organs near the heart. At the cardiac apex, spectroscopically obtained constituent ratios of lipid/water by1H-TMR and creatine phosphate/ATP by31P-TMR were less in hamsters with CM than in the age-matched normal control animals, which was in accordance with biochemical analyses performed after killing the animals.