Effect of age on myocardial function assessed by two-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiography in healthy beagle dogs.
OBJECTIVE
The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of age on myocardial function assessed by two-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiography (2D-STE) in healthy dogs.


METHODS
Thirty-two healthy Beagles were used.


METHODS
Myocardial function was assessed in each dog by using 2D-STE, and the results were compared between young and old dogs.


RESULTS
The myocardial deformations in systole, besides the apical rotation rate, were not significantly different between young and old dogs. In contrast, the early diastolic circumferential strain rate, basal rotation rate, and torsion rate were significantly lower in old dogs than in young dogs (P = 0.03, P = 0.033, and P = 0.015, respectively). Late diastolic longitudinal and radial strain rates were significantly higher in old dogs than in young dogs (P = 0.002 and P = 0.018, respectively).


CONCLUSIONS
Young and old dogs showed similar systolic myocardial deformations, but significant differences in the values of some diastolic deformation variables were found between young and old dogs, highlighting the need for using age-matched control subjects in studies of diastolic function.
Division of Veterinary Internal Medicine, Department of Veterinary Science, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Nippon Veterinary and Life Science University, 1-7-1 Kyonan-cho, Musashino-shi, Tokyo 180-8602, Japan. Electronic address: d01005@nvlu.ac.jp.
Ryohei
R
Suzuki
Hirotaka
H
Matsumoto
Takahiro
T
Teshima
Hidekazu
H
Koyama
D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D004285:Dogs / Q000502:physiology*; D004452:Echocardiography / Q000379:methods / Q000662:veterinary*; D005260:Female; D006321:Heart / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D009200:Myocardial Contraction / Q000502:physiology*
Aging; Canine; Myocardial deformation; Strain; Torsion