Sequence of echocardiographic changes during development of right ventricular failure in rat.
BACKGROUND
The temporal relations between the onset of echocardiographic changes and clinical diagnosis of right ventricular (RV) failure are unresolved. We have characterized such relations in a rat monocrotaline (MCT) model of RV failure.


METHODS
Eight-week-old male Wistar rats were injected with MCT (60 mg/kg) or vehicle and underwent serial echocardiography. RV free-wall thickness (RVWT), pulmonary artery acceleration time normalized to cycle length (PAAT/CL), RV end-diastolic diameter (RVEDD), and tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) were measured.


RESULTS
Significant differences in echocardiographic parameters between MCT-treated and control rats were found as early as 14 days before RV failure for RVWT, 10 days for PAAT/CL, and 7 days for RVEDD and TAPSE. The time intervals between the onset of changes in RVWT, PAAT/CL, RVEDD, and TAPSE and diagnosis of RV failure were 11.3 +/- 0.8, 10.9 +/- 0.7, 6.5 +/- 0.5, and 5.4 +/- 0.7 days, respectively. The sequence of echocardiographic changes was consistent in all animals during development of RV failure.


CONCLUSIONS
Pulmonary hypertension (assessed by PAAT/CL) and RV free-wall thickening (characterized by RVWT) precede RV dilation and RV systolic dysfunction (measured by RVEDD and TAPSE, respectively). Echocardiographic analysis permits accurate determination of the stage of disease development in MCT-induced RV failure.
Hardziyenka
Maxim
M
Department of Clinical and Experimental Cardiology, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Campian
Maria E
ME
de Bruin-Bon
H A C M Rianne
HA
Michel
Martin C
MC
Tan
Hanno L
HL
D000818:Animals; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D018450:Disease Progression; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000145:classification / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology*; D008297:Male; D016686:Monocrotaline; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014463:Ultrasonography; D018497:Ventricular Dysfunction, Right / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000145:classification / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*
D016686:Monocrotaline