MRI tracking stem cells transplantation for coronary heart disease

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of mortality worldwide. Stem cell transplantation has become a new treatment option for cardiovascular disease because the stem cells are able to migrate to damaged cardiac tissue, repair the myocardial infarction area and ultimately reduce the role of the infarct-related mortality. Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a new robust non-invasive imaging technique that can detect anatomical information and myocardial dysfunction, study the mechanism of stem cells therapy with superb spatial/temporal resolution, relatively safe contrast material and lack of radiation. This review describes the advantages and disadvantages of cardiac MRI applied in stem cells transplantation and discusses how to translate this technique into clinical therapy. Sources of Data/Study Selection: Data from cross-sectional and prospective studies published between the years 2001-2013 on the topic were included. Data searches included both human and animal studies. Data Extraction: The data was extracted from online resources of statistic reports, Pub med, THE MEDLINE, Google Scholar, Medical and Radiological journals. Conclusion: MRI is an appealing technique for cell trafficking depicting engraftment, differentiation and survival.