title: High-Frequency Ultrasound for the Study of Early Mouse Embryonic Cardiovascular System.
abstract: An accurate diagnosis of congenital heart defects during fetal development is critical for interventional planning. Mice can be used to generate animal models with heart defects, and high-frequency ultrasound (HFUS) imaging enables in utero imaging of live mouse embryos. A wide range of physiological measurements is possible using Doppler-HFUS imaging; limitations of any single measurement warrant a multiparameter approach to characterize cardiovascular function. Doppler-HFUS was used to explore the embryonic (heart, aorta) and extraembryonic (umbilical blood flow) circulatory systems to create a database in normal mouse embryos between 9.5 and 16.5 days of gestation. Multivariate analyses were performed to explore correlations between gestational age and embryo echocardiographic parameters. Heart rate and peak velocity in the aorta were positively correlated with gestational time, whereas cardiac cycle length, isovolumetric relaxation time, myocardial performance index, and arterial deceleration time of the umbilical cord were negatively correlated with it. Doppler-HFUS facilitated detailed characterization of the embryonic mouse circulation and represents a useful tool for investigation of the early mouse embryonic cardiovascular system.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche Avanzate, Università degli studi di Napoli Federico II, Napoli, Italy CEINGE Biotecnologie Avanzate, Napoli, Italy adegreco@unina.it.
authors.forename: Adelaide
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Greco
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche Avanzate, Università degli studi di Napoli Federico II, Napoli, Italy Istituto di Biostrutture e Bioimmagini, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Napoli, Italy.
authors.forename: Anna Rita Daniela
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Coda
authors.affiliation: CEINGE Biotecnologie Avanzate, Napoli, Italy Università Parthenope Napoli, Napoli, Italy.
authors.forename: Sandra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Albanese
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche Avanzate, Università degli studi di Napoli Federico II, Napoli, Italy CEINGE Biotecnologie Avanzate, Napoli, Italy.
authors.forename: Monica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ragucci
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Biostrutture e Bioimmagini, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Napoli, Italy.
authors.forename: Raffaele
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Liuzzi
authors.affiliation: IRCCS SDN, Napoli, Italy.
authors.forename: Luigi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Auletta
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Biostrutture e Bioimmagini, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Napoli, Italy.
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gargiulo
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Medicina Veterinaria e produzioni animali, Università degli studi di Napoli Federico II, Napoli, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lamagna
authors.affiliation: IRCCS SDN, Napoli, Italy.
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Salvatore
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Biostrutture e Bioimmagini, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Napoli, Italy.
authors.forename: Marcello
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mancini
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001011:Aorta / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000196:embryology; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity; D002319:Cardiovascular System / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000196:embryology; D018619:Echocardiography, Doppler, Pulsed / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D051379:Mice; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011247:Pregnancy; D012039:Regional Blood Flow; D016216:Ultrasonography, Prenatal / Q000379:methods*; D014469:Umbilical Arteries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000196:embryology
keywords: cardiovascular; mice; ultrasound