Animal Models of Tissue Characterization of Area at Risk, Edema and Fibrosis

Myocardial in vivo tissue characterization is of great importance because it can provide meaningful information to understand pathophysiological processes underlying different cardiac diseases. Ex vivo histologic analyses of tissue samples have been classically considered the gold standard in the study of tissue properties and its composition. However, over the past decade, there has been a growing interest in the in vivo myocardial characterization with different imaging techniques, which can potentially be translated into the clinics in order to make an early diagnosis and evaluate serial changes, opening the possibility of dynamic evaluation. Animal models have become an essential tool to achieve this goal. This article aims at concisely reviewing recent and significant developments in the field of imaging techniques—mostly cardiac magnetic resonance—in relevant animal models of tissue characterization of area at risk, edema, and fibrosis.