Real-Time Myocardial Contrast Echocardiography for Assessing Perfusion and Function in Healthy and Infarcted Wistar Rats

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• 作者：Gerald H. Wasmeier ; Wolfram-H. Zimmermann ; Nico Schineis ; Ivan Melnychenko ; Jens-Uwe Voigt ; Thomas Eschenhagen ; Frank A. Flachskampf ; Werner G. Daniel ; Uwe Nixdorff
• 关键词：Myocardial contrast echocardiography ; Rats ; Experimental echocardiography ; Myocardial infarction ; Myocardial perfusion ; Myocardial regional wall motion
• 刊名：Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology
• 出版年：2008
• 出版时间：January 2008
• 年：2008
• 卷：34
• 期：1
• 页码：47-55
• 全文大小：621 K

文摘

Real-time myocardial contrast echocardiography (MCE) is a noninvasive perfusion imaging method, whereas technical and resolution problems impair its application in small animals. Hence, we investigated the feasibility of MCE in experimental cardiovascular set-ups involving healthy and infarcted myocardium in rats. Twenty-five male Wistar rats were examined under volatile anesthesia (2.5 % isoflurane) with high-resolution conventional 2-D echocardiography (2DE) and real-time MCE (Sonos 7500 with 15MHz-transducer, Philips Medical Systems, Andover, MA, USA) in short-axis view. Contrast agent (SonoVue, Bracco, Milan, Italy) was infused as a bolus into a sublingual vein. Background-subtracted contrast signal intensity (SI) was measured off-line in six end-systolic segments and fitted to an exponential curve (gamma variate). Derived peak SI was subsequently calculated and compared with wall motion and common functional measured quantities (left ventricular end-diastolic diameter [LVEDD], area shortening [AS]). Recordings were performed before and 14 days after left anterior descending (LAD) ligature. Infarction induced anterior wall motion abnormalities (WMA) in all animals (16 akinetic, 9 hypokinetic), increased LVEDD (9.1 ± 0.6 vs. 7.9 ± 0.6 mm, p < 0.001), reduced AS (36.1 ± 10.0 vs. 59.5 ± 4.1 % , p < 0.001) and reduced anterior segmental SI (0.4 ± 0.4 dB akinetic / 1.7 ± 1.7 dB hypokinetic vs. 15.8 ± 10.9 dB preinfarct, p < 0.001 / p < 0.001). Segmental SI in normokinetic segments remained unchanged. Area at risk (perfusion defect) correlated well with WMA (r = 0.838). These data confirmed high-resolution real-time MCE as a rational tool for assessing myocardial perfusion of Wistar rats. It may therefore be a useful diagnostic tool for in-vivo cardiovascular research in small animals. (E-mail: uwe.nixdorff@t-online.de)