Susceptibility Weighted Imaging (SWI) is an established part of the clinical neuroimaging toolbox and, since its inception, has also successfully been used in various preclinical studies. Exploiting the effect of variations of magnetic susceptibility between different tissues on the externally applied, static, homogeneous magnetic field, the method visualizes venous vasculature, hemorrhages and blood degradation products, calcifications, and tissue iron deposits. The chapter describes in vivo and ex vivo protocols for preclinical SWI in rodents.
Keywords: Bold; Gradient echo; MRI; Magnetic susceptibility; Mice; Phase imaging; Preclinical; Rat; Rodents; SWI.