PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Hisashi Sawada
AU  - Michael K. Franklin
AU  - Jessica J. Moorleghen
AU  - Deborah A. Howatt
AU  - Masayoshi Kukida
AU  - Hong S. Lu
AU  - Alan Daugherty
TI  - Ultrasound Monitoring of Descending Aortic Aneurysms and Dissections in Mice
AID  - 10.1101/2020.04.18.048298
DP  - 2020 Jan 01
TA  - bioRxiv
PG  - 2020.04.18.048298
4099  - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2020/08/05/2020.04.18.048298.short
4100  - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2020/08/05/2020.04.18.048298.full
AB  - Several modalities, such as computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and ultrasound, are available to visualize mouse aortas.1-3 CT and MRI enable us to obtain reliable images of the aorta and its branches. However, CT requires vascular contrast and MRI is procedurally complex. Thus, these modalities are used only occasionally for in vivo monitoring of mouse studies. High frequency ultrasonography is a common approach for aortic monitoring in mice.4 The standard ultrasound approach using a para-sternal view can visualize the aortic root, ascending aorta, and aortic arch, while this approach cannot visualize the descending region due to the presence of lungs and ribs. Therefore, the ability to perform in vivo monitoring of descending aortic diseases in mice has been an impediment. This study reports a para-spinal dorsal approach for ultrasound imaging of mouse descending aortas.Competing Interest StatementThe authors have declared no competing interest.