Imaging the Microstructure of the Human Fetal Heart

摘要： Almost 50 years have elapsed since the seminal anatomic studies of Streeter et al1 showed that the fibers of the myocardium are arranged in a crossing helical pattern. During this time, numerous ex vivo studies of myocardial fiber architecture have been performed with magnetic resonance diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). In addition, recent advances in gradient strength and acceleration techniques now allow DTI of the entire heart to be performed in vivo.2,3 DTI also allows microstructural information to be integrated with magnetic resonance–derived metrics of myocardial strain, function, and viability.4–6