Background-Lipotoxicity may be a key contributor to the pathogenesis of cardiac abnormalities in mitochondrial long-chain fatty acid ␤-oxidation (FAO) disorders. Few data are available on myocardial lipid levels and cardiac performance in FAO deficiencies. The purpose of this animal study is to assess fasting-induced changes in cardiac morphology, function, and triglyceride (TG) storage as a consequence of FAO deficiency in a noninvasive fashion. Methods and Results-MRI and proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy ( 1 H-MRS) were applied in vivo in long-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase (LCAD) knockout (KO) mice and wild-type (WT) mice (nϭ8 per genotype). Fasting was used to increase the heart's dependency on FAO for maintenance of energy homeostasis. In vivo data were complemented with ex vivo measurements of myocardial lipids. Left ventricular (LV) mass was higher in LCAD KO mice compared with WT mice (PϽ0.05), indicating LV myocardial hypertrophy. Myocardial TG content was higher in LCAD KO mice at baseline (PϽ0.001) and further increased in fasted LCAD KO mice (PϽ0.05). Concomitantly, LV ejection fraction (PϽ0.01) and diastolic filling rate (PϽ0.01) decreased after fasting, whereas these functional parameters did not change in fasted WT mice. Myocardial ceramide content was higher in fasted LCAD KO mice compared with fasted WT mice (PϽ0.05). Conclusions-Using

Current clinical MRI can quantify carotid plaques but shows limitations for thin FC thickness quantification. These limitations could influence the reliability of carotid MRI for assessing plaque rupture risk associated with FC thickness. Overall, MRI simulations provide a feasible methodology for assessing segmentation and quantification accuracy, as well as for improving scan protocol design.