National Research Council (IFC-CNR)

Arterial stiffness represents a key factor in cardiovascular disease and pulse wave velocity (PWV) can be considered as a surrogate index for arterial stiffness. This protocol describes an image processing algorithm for calculating PWV in mice based on ultrasound image processing that is applicable at different arterial sites.

Melanoma is a very aggressive disease that quickly spreads to other organs. This protocol describes the application of ultra-high-frequency ultrasound imaging, coupled with 3D rendering, to monitor the volume of the inguinal lymph nodes in the Braf/Pten mouse model of metastatic melanoma.

Here, we present an experimental imaging protocol for the quantification of cardiac function and morphology using high-resolution positron emission tomography/computed tomography for small animals. Both mice and rats are considered, discussing the different requirements of computed tomography contrast agents for the two species.