Echo doppler assessment of left ventricular function in rats with hypertensive hypertrophy.
OBJECTIVE
This study attempted to establish echocardiographic measurements of left ventricular (LV) mass and LV systolic and diastolic function, particularly in rats with hypertensive heart.


METHODS
M-mode LV echograms and Doppler mitral flow were obtained in Dahl salt-sensitive rats placed on 0.3% or 8% sodium chloride diet. Echo Doppler measurements were compared with catheterization and pathologic measurements in 54 rats for LV mass and in 45 rats for LV systolic and diastolic function.


RESULTS
Echocardiographic measurement of LV mass correlated well with pathologic measurement (r = 0.94, P <.01, n = 54, SEE = 0.08 mg), independent of LV size, aging, and therapeutic intervention. Endocardial fractional shortening (FS) correlated with LV peak + dP/dt (r = 0.56, n = 45, P <.01), and the correlation was improved to r = 0.71 if 11 rats with marked LV hypertrophy were excluded. Midwall FS correlated well with LV peak + dP/dt (r = 0.72, n = 45, P <.01) even if rats with extremely thickened ventricular wall were included. If midwall FS was lower than 14%, LV systolic dysfunction was very likely (sensitivity 67%, specificity 91%). Association of mitral E/A ratio of 2.0 or greater with deceleration time of shorter than 35 ms was an accurate indicator of elevated LV end-diastolic pressure (sensitivity 82%, specificity 86%) and increased lung weight because of congestive heart failure (sensitivity 89%, specificity 96%) in rats with hypertension.


CONCLUSIONS
LV mass, LV systolic function, and LV end-diastolic pressure were assessable with echo Doppler in rats with hypertensive heart.
Ono
Keiko
K
Department of Internal Medicine and Therapeutics, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, 2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita 565-0871, Japan.
Masuyama
Tohru
T
Yamamoto
Kazuhiro
K
Doi
Reiko
R
Sakata
Yasushi
Y
Nishikawa
Nagahiro
N
Mano
Toshiaki
T
Kuzuya
Tsunehiko
T
Takeda
Hiroshi
H
Hori
Masatsugu
M
D000818:Animals; D003971:Diastole / Q000502:physiology; D015150:Echocardiography, Doppler; D006339:Heart Rate; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D017379:Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology; D051381:Rats; D020303:Rats, Inbred Dahl; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013599:Systole / Q000502:physiology; D016277:Ventricular Function, Left / Q000502:physiology*