Detection of low calcium channel activity in pig hearts with manganese-enhanced MRI

Motivation: Evaluate manganese-enhanced MRI (MEMRI) for heart failure assessment. Goal(s): Quantify the manganese uptake rate in the myocardium as an indicator of L-type calcium channel activity and T-tubule density. Approach: A high temporally-resolved dynamic SatRec sequence was used to track the Mangafodipir bolus instead of using the less precise, but higher spatially-resolved, conventional T1 mapping method that was used before and after the manganese administration. Results: Pigs have less dense T-tubule than humans leading to fewer L-type calcium channels and low Mn uptake in cardiomyocytes. Therefore, we believe that MEMRI can become a promising tool for assessing heart failure diseases in humans. Impact: Since pigs are often used in preclinical research, there are important differences to be aware of. The low Mn uptake proved their less dense T-tubule, showing that MEMRI may be a useful tool for studying heart failure in humans.