Institute of Molecular Biology, University Hospital, Essen, Germany.
J Magn Reson Imaging. 2010 Nov;32(5):1158-65. doi: 10.1002/jmri.22351.
To establish in utero MRI-scanning of mouse implantation sites in a 1.5 Tesla whole-body human clinical scanner for evaluation of impaired implantation, placental or developmental defects due to genetic alterations.
Pregnant C57Bl/6 wild-type and Cx31-deficient mice revealing placental defects were analyzed in utero using a 1.5 Tesla whole-body clinical scanner in combination with a 3-cm-diameter single loop (slice thickness: 1.2 mm). Imaging of implantation sites was evaluated from 6.5-13.5 dpc and amount of implantation sites and in vivo development was analyzed during the critical phase of placentation from 10.5-13.5 dpc.
This method provided high resolution in plane images permitting confident identification of all implantation sites from 6.5 dpc onward. A loss of 60% of Cx31-deficient embryos was demonstrated compared with controls. Repeated anesthesia as well as imaging protocols produced no gross malformations in the surviving mice.
Using a human clinical MRI scanner high resolution imaging of the entire uterus of the mice and all the embryos inside could be performed. This method is well suited to noninvasively monitor and quantify embryo implantation and to follow this dynamic process in vivo without compromising pregnancy progression and embryonic development.
在 1.5T 全身临床磁共振扫描仪中对小鼠着床部位进行宫内 MRI 扫描，以评估因基因改变导致的着床障碍、胎盘或发育缺陷。
对存在胎盘缺陷的怀孕 C57Bl/6 野生型和 Cx31 缺陷型小鼠进行分析，使用 1.5T 全身临床磁共振扫描仪结合 3cm 直径单环（切片厚度：1.2mm）。从 6.5-13.5dpc 对着床部位进行成像评估，并在胎盘形成的关键阶段（10.5-13.5dpc）分析植入部位的数量和体内发育情况。
该方法提供了高分辨率的平面图像，从 6.5dpc 开始可以准确识别所有着床部位。与对照组相比，Cx31 缺陷型胚胎的丢失率为 60%。重复麻醉和成像方案在存活的小鼠中没有产生明显的畸形。
使用临床磁共振扫描仪可以对小鼠的整个子宫和子宫内的所有胚胎进行高分辨率成像。这种方法非常适合非侵入性地监测和量化胚胎着床，并在不影响妊娠进展和胚胎发育的情况下在体内跟踪这一动态过程。
