Abstract
The Langendorff-perfused heart technique has become the model of choice for multiparametric optical mapping of cardiac function and electrophysiology. However, photon scattering in tissues represents a significant drawback of the optical imaging approach, fundamentally limiting its mapping capacity to the heart surface. This work presents the first implementation of the optoacoustic approach for 4D imaging of the entire beating isolated mouse heart. The method combines optical excitation and acoustic detection to simultaneously render rich optical contrast and high spatio-temporal resolution at centimeter-scale depths. We demonstrate volumetric imaging of deeply located cardiac features, including the interventricular septum, chordae tendineae, and papillary muscles while further tracking the heart beat cycle and the motion of the pulmonary, mitral, and tricuspid valves in real time. The technique possesses a powerful combination between high imaging depth, fast volumetric imaging speed, functional and molecular imaging capacities not available with other imaging modalities currently used in cardiac research.
Highlights
The isolated heart preparation ensures easy access by optical imaging that offers imaging speed, sensitivity, high spatial resolution, as well as a great variety of targeted moieties for the assessment of biophysical and biochemical parameters not available in the in vivo setting
A snapshot of the typical reconstructed volumetric image of the isolated heart is shown in Fig. 1B, where the x, y, and z views are displayed as maximum intensity projections (MIP)
A wide range of mammalian species have been used in Langendorff-perfused heart preparations to study cardiac function in health and disease, including mice[8], rats[19,20], rabbits[9], and larger animals[21]
Summary
The isolated heart preparation ensures easy access by optical imaging that offers imaging speed, sensitivity, high spatial resolution, as well as a great variety of targeted moieties for the assessment of biophysical and biochemical parameters not available in the in vivo setting. Advancements in optical imaging technology have enabled the acquisition of full planar views of the heart surface at a frame rate of several kilohertz[6,7] In this way, rotor dynamics found in spiral propagation of potential across the heart has been studied to shed light onto atrial and ventricular arrhythmia and sudden cardiac death[10]. Can facilitate high-resolution 3D observations through the entire heart with selective-plane microscopy techniques[12,13], which is not compatible with cell viability Other modalities, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or computed tomography (CT), can alternatively be used to image the heart[14,15,16]. The isolated heart allows for direct imaging of the heart without the presence of skin, ribs, and strongly absorbing blood, significantly improving the depth and image quality with respect to the in vivo imaging scenario[17,18]
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