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Age and gender related reference values for transthoracic Doppler-echocardiography in the anesthetized CD1 mouse

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Abstract

Objective: Doppler-echocardiography of the mouse has evolved to a commonly used technique in the past years as recent advances in imaging quality have substantially improved spatial and temporal resolution allowing the adaptation of this technique to murine models. Although mouse echocardiography is widely used, there is only little information on reference data for wild-type animals available, particularly in older mice.

Methods: We therefore established a database with echocardiographic reference-values in a large set of young (8 weeks) and older adult (52 weeks) Swiss type CD1-mice of either sex. We performed a complete Doppler-echocardiographic examination under light Ketamine-Xylazine-anesthesia. LV-mass was calculated and compared with necropsy heart weights to validate the LV-mass calculation.

Results: Doppler-echocardiographic measurements in mice were feasible to assess cardiac morphology and function. Sonomorphological and functional parameters hardly changed between the age of 12 and 52 weeks. Wall thickness, LV-mass and cardiac output were stable with aging. There was a good relative correlation between echocardiographically estimated LV-mass and necropsy heart weight although absolute values differed. There were no significant echocardiographic differences between male and female mice.

Conclusions: The reference values established in this study can be useful in recording and quantifying pathological changes in murine models of cardiovascular diseases. There is hardly any change of cardiac function between the age of 12 and 52 weeks.

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Abbreviations

Ao maxPG:

Maximal pressure gradient aortic valve

AoVmax:

Maximal flow velocity aortic valve

AW:

Anterior wall of the LV

A-wave:

Maximum late flow velocity mitral valve

BW:

Body weight

CI:

Cardiac index

CO:

Cardiac output

E-wave:

Maximum early flow velocity mitral valve

FS:

Fractional shortening

HW:

Heart weight

LA:

Left atrium

LV:

Left ventricle

LV-EF:

LV ejection fraction

LVET:

LV ejection time

LVEDD:

LV end diastolic diameter

LVESD:

LV end systolic diameter

LVM:

LV mass

LVM-I:

LV mass-index

LVOT:

Left ventricular outflow tract

MV:

MaxPG maximal pressure gradient mitral valve

PW:

Posterior wall of the LV

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Author information

Author notes

  1. Constanze Epping

    Present address: Department of Medical Physiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Cardiology and Angiology, Hospital of the University of Münster, Münster, Germany

    Jörg Stypmann, Markus A. Engelen, Constanze Epping, Peter Milberg, Christian Bruch, Günter Breithardt & Lars Eckardt

  2. Interdisciplinary Center for Clinical Research, Central Project Group (ZPG 4a), Westfälische Wilhelms Universität, Münster, Germany

    Jörg Stypmann & Günter Breithardt

  3. Department of Medical Physiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands

    Markus A. Engelen & Harold V.M. van Rijen

  4. Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik II, Universitätsklinikum Bonn, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany

    Klaus Tiemann

Authors
  1. Jörg Stypmann
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  2. Markus A. Engelen
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Additional information

*Jörg Stypmann, Markus A. Engelen contributed equally to this work. ** Parts of these data are part of C. Epping’s doctoral thesis.

Address for correspondence: Dr. med. Jörg Stypmann, Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik C, Kardiologie und Angiologie, Universitätsklinikum Münster, Albert-Schweitzer-Str. 33, D-48149 Münster, Germany Tel.: +49-251-83-47617; Fax: +49-251-83-47684; E-mail: stypmann@mednet.uni-muenster.de

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Stypmann, J., Engelen, M.A., Epping, C. et al. Age and gender related reference values for transthoracic Doppler-echocardiography in the anesthetized CD1 mouse. Int J Cardiovasc Imaging 22, 353–362 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10554-005-9052-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10554-005-9052-9

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