title: Impact of anesthesia on echocardiographic evaluation of systolic and diastolic function in rats.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Echocardiography is used on rats but general anesthesia is usually necessary to be able to obtain a good quality echocardiogram. Each type of anesthetic agent has specific impacts on hemodynamics and, therefore, may affect differentially the echocardiographic measurements.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We sought to compare the echocardiograms of normal rats and rats with chronic aortic regurgitation under anesthesia using ketamine-xylazine or isoflurane.
  
  
  METHODS
  Animals underwent an echocardiogram with both drugs sequentially. Echocardiographic measurements were compared.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mitral diastolic Doppler measurements (early diastolic filling wave [E] and late atrial diastolic filling wave [A] velocities) were significantly affected by the type of anesthesia in the normal group but not left ventricular dimensions or ejection fraction. Left ventricular dimensions were affected by the type of anesthesia in the aortic regurgitation group and diastolic Doppler flow.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The anesthetic agent has significant specific impacts on many echocardiographic measurements. Investigators working with rat models should be aware of those potential effects.
authors.affiliation: Groupe de Recherche sur les Valvulopathies, Centre de Recherche Hôpital Laval, Institut de cardiologie de Québec, Université Laval, Laval, Quebec, Canada.
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Plante
authors.forename: Dominic
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lachance
authors.forename: Elise
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Roussel
authors.forename: Marie-Claude
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Drolet
authors.forename: Marie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Arsenault
authors.forename: Jacques
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Couet
mesh_terms: D000777:Anesthetics / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D000818:Animals; D001022:Aortic Valve Insufficiency / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D003971:Diastole / Q000187:drug effects*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004452:Echocardiography / Q000187:drug effects*; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013599:Systole / Q000187:drug effects*; D018487:Ventricular Dysfunction, Left / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology
chemical_list: D000777:Anesthetics