Dynamic Evaluation of Vascular Remodeling and Aneurysm Progression Using Blood-Pool Contrast-Enhanced In Vivo Micro-CT in a Rodent Model.
A, H., M, S., G, M., K, B., B, M., N, F., F, R., & G, V.V. (2026). Dynamic Evaluation of Vascular Remodeling and Aneurysm Progression Using Blood-Pool Contrast-Enhanced In Vivo Micro-CT in a Rodent Model.. Journal of cardiovascular translational research. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12265-026-10825-0
A H, M S, G M, K B, B M, N F, et al. Dynamic Evaluation of Vascular Remodeling and Aneurysm Progression Using Blood-Pool Contrast-Enhanced In Vivo Micro-CT in a Rodent Model.. Journal of cardiovascular translational research. 2026; doi: 10.1007/s12265-026-10825-0
A H, M S, G M, et al. Dynamic Evaluation of Vascular Remodeling and Aneurysm Progression Using Blood-Pool Contrast-Enhanced In Vivo Micro-CT in a Rodent Model.[J]. Journal of cardiovascular translational research. 2026. DOI: 10.1007/s12265-026-10825-0.
@article{a2026,
author = {Hendrickx A and Schols M and Maleux G and Błażejczyk K and Meuris B and Famaey N and Rega F and Vande Velde G},
title = {Dynamic Evaluation of Vascular Remodeling and Aneurysm Progression Using Blood-Pool Contrast-Enhanced In Vivo Micro-CT in a Rodent Model.},
journal = {Journal of cardiovascular translational research},
year = {2026},
doi = {10.1007/s12265-026-10825-0},
note = {PMID: 42593720},
}
TY - JOUR AU - Hendrickx A AU - Schols M AU - Maleux G AU - Błażejczyk K AU - Meuris B AU - Famaey N AU - Rega F AU - Vande Velde G TI - Dynamic Evaluation of Vascular Remodeling and Aneurysm Progression Using Blood-Pool Contrast-Enhanced In Vivo Micro-CT in a Rodent Model. T2 - Journal of cardiovascular translational research PY - 2026 DO - 10.1007/s12265-026-10825-0 AN - PMID:42593720 ER -
Vascular graft remodeling and aneurysm progression are commonly studied in small animal models, but non-terminal methods for their assessment remain limited. This study evaluated contrast-enhanced micro-CT as a tool for longitudinal, in vivo monitoring of vascular grafts in rodents. Using a transplant model in which a pulmonary artery segment was implanted into the recipient's abdominal aorta, creating a pulmonary vascular graft, we compared a molecular iodinated contrast agent with a nanoparticle-based agent. The molecular agent was rapidly cleared, resulting in insufficient vascular opacification for graft visualization or quantification. In contrast, the nanoparticle agent provided prolonged vascular enhancement, enabling high-resolution imaging and quantitative assessment of graft morphology and aneurysm development over time. These findings demonstrate that contrast-enhanced micro-CT, particularly using nanoparticulate blood-pool contrast agents, enables a longitudinal, non-terminal evaluation of vascular grafts in rodents, enabling quantitative monitoring of graft remodeling, overcoming the limitations of traditional post-mortem, single timepoint analyses.