Cardiac Imaging in Normal Rats Using MRI
Author Information
Author(s): Daire Jean-Luc, Jacob Jean-Pascal, Hyacinthe Jean-Noel, Croisille Pierre, Montet-Abou Karin, Richter Sophie, Botsikas Diomidis, Lepetit-Coiffé Matthieu, Morel Denis, Vallée Jean-Paul
Primary Institution: Radiology Department, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva and Geneva University Hospital
Hypothesis
The study aims to evaluate the effects of low dose dobutamine on myocardial contraction in rats using tagged and cine cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR).
Conclusion
Cardiac cine and tagging CMR measurements can be reliably obtained in rats under incremental dobutamine stress using a clinical 1.5 T MR scanner.
Supporting Evidence
- Cine and tagged CMR provided high-quality images even at high heart rates.
- Significant changes in ejection fraction and left ventricular end-systolic volume were observed after dobutamine infusion.
- Tagged CMR was more reproducible than cine CMR for measuring regional contractile function.
Takeaway
The researchers used special imaging techniques to see how a medicine called dobutamine affects the hearts of rats, and they found that even a little bit of the medicine made the heart work better.
Methodology
Ten normal adult Sprague-Dawley rats were used for MR imaging and invasive left ventricle pressure measurements, with imaging performed at rest and during incremental dobutamine doses.
Potential Biases
The study may be affected by operator dependency in cine CMR measurements.
Limitations
The modified Simpson's method was used for volume measurements, which may lead to slight underestimation, and hemodynamic studies were conducted in open-chest preparations.
Participant Demographics
Normal adult Sprague-Dawley rats weighing approximately 385 ± 30 g.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p < 0.001
Statistical Significance
p < 0.001
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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