title: Echocardiographic study of pulmonary hypertension syndrome in broiler chickens.
abstract: Echocardiography was used to study cardiovascular structure and function during the development of pulmonary hypertension syndrome (PHS) in broiler chickens. Body weight-normalized right and left ventricular diameters at both end-diastole (RVDD, LVDD) and end-systole (RVDS, LVDS) were determined weekly in broilers reared under either normobaric (altitude, 96.7 m) or hypobaric conditions (simulated altitude, 2900 m) until 5 wk of age. Hypobaric-exposed broilers had larger RVDD at 3 and 4 wk of age and larger RVDS at 3, 4, and 5 wk of age. Hypobaric-exposed broilers also had larger LVDD at 2, 3, 4, and 5 wk of age and larger LVDS at 4 wk of age. Right (RVFS) and left ventricular fractional shortening (LVFS) were smaller in hypobaric- vs. normobaric-exposed broilers at 3, 4, and 5 wk of age and at 4 wk of age, respectively. Among hypobaric-exposed birds, PHS-positive (+) broilers had larger RVDD and RVDS than PHS-negative (-) broilers on week 3 and on weeks 1 and 3 after hypobaric exposure, respectively. PHS-positive (+) broilers also had smaller RVFS on week 1 after hypobaric exposure. Electrocardiographic and post-mortem data indicated that PHS+ broilers also developed right ventricular hypertrophy when compared with PHS-negative (-) broilers. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that PHS develops as a result of pulmonary hypertension and cardiac overload and suggest that PHS+ broilers have a greater and more persistent reaction to hypoxia than PHS- broilers.
authors.affiliation: Department of Poultry Science, Texas Agricultural Experiment Station and College of Veterinary Medicine, Texas A&M University, College Station 77843, USA.
authors.forename: L A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Martinez-Lemus
authors.forename: M W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Jeffrey
authors.forename: T W
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: Odom
mesh_terms: D000399:Air Pressure; D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight; D002319:Cardiovascular System / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002645:Chickens; D004452:Echocardiography / Q000662:veterinary*; D006976:Hypertension, Pulmonary / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D011201:Poultry Diseases / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*