title: [Usefulness of intravenous myocardial contrast echocardiography in rats].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Few intravenous myocardial contrast echocardiography trials have evaluated myocardial perfusion in small animals. The feasibility of using intravenous myocardial contrast echocardiography to assess the ischemic area in rats was investigated.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fourteen open chest Wister male rats were examined. Intravenous myocardial contrast echocardiography was performed by fundamental and intermittent mode using a high frequency (5-12 MHz) transducer (SONOS 5500) with injection of NC100100 (20% dilution) into the femoral vein. The mechanical index was set to 1.6. Baseline-subtracted video intensity (256 level) was measured in the anterior, posterior, septal and lateral walls of the left ventricle. The left anterior descending artery was ligated in 16 rats. The area at risk was evaluated by myocardial contrast echocardiography and compared to the area of defect by Evans Blue staining.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All wall segments were clearly opacified (anterior 63.8 +/- 24.7, posterior 27.0 +/- 11.0, septal 44.5 +/- 11.6, lateral 52.3 +/- 19.1), although the baseline-subtracted video intensity of the posterior wall was low. The area at risk was clearly observed, and there was a good correlation with the nonperfused area by Evans Blue staining (y = 1.13x-3.54, r = 0.98).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Intravenous myocardial contrast echocardiography can detect the perfusion defect even in rats using a high frequency transducer and suitable setup of equipment.
authors.affiliation: School of Allied Health Sciences, Osaka University, Faculty of Medicine, Yamadaoka 1-7, Suita, Osaka 565-0871.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Beppu
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hirayama
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yagura
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kashiwagi
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kayano
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ishikura
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003287:Contrast Media / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D004452:Echocardiography / Q000379:methods*; D005290:Ferric Compounds / Q000008:administration & dosage; D007275:Injections, Intravenous; D007501:Iron / Q000008:administration & dosage; D008297:Male; D010087:Oxides / Q000008:administration & dosage; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D014159:Transducers
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media; D005290:Ferric Compounds; D010087:Oxides; C069727:Sonazoid; D007501:Iron