6/11/2011

Using Echocardiograms For Research In Small Animals

By Adriana Noton


It can be difficult to configure echocardiograms for research in small animals. For tiny animals, like mice, the procedure causes significant stress. This can adversely affect cardiovascular observations. Another difficulty is the miniature size of the mouse heart and its rapid heartbeat, which ranges from 500 to 700 beats per minute. Additionally, the orientation of the mouse heart makes some parts difficult to see with the test.

Echocardiograms are ultrasounds images of the heart. One-dimensional, or M-mode, and two-dimensional, or 2D, images provide a good measurement of the heart's chambers. The images can detect movement, thickness, and size. The 2D image is actually a slice, or a cross-section, of the heart as it is beating.

Doppler can add another dimension to the exam. Doppler is used to determine the velocity and the direction of the flow of blood. It is used to identify leakage within heart valves. Doppler also pinpoints narrowing, or stenosis, in heart valves.

Echocardiograms are done in vivo, which means on living animals. The test are most reliable when the mouse is not anesthetized. This is because anesthesia can slow the heart to about half its normal beats per minute. To prevent stress in mice, technicians perform the test for several days before their actual test. On the day of the echocardiogram, they complete several protocols. They remove the mouse's chest hair with a depilatory agent. They also place limb leads on the mouse's wrists and ankles.

Researchers primarily capture molecular imaging of a mouse's left ventricle. Because apical views can be tough to obtain, diastolic function in the right ventricle is hard to see. Researchers can readily observe the composition of the left ventricle. The photoacoustic test can detect any atherosclerosis, lesions, or other cardiac disturbances within the structure.

Small animal experiments help researchers to draw conclusions about human heart disease. Researchers for one study, for instance, performed echocardiograms on fetal mice. By doing this, researchers were able to watch the development of congenital heart disease. In another experiment, researchers introduced a beta-2 receptor into the heart of a mouse. They knew that the receptor was found in an enzyme that manifested in failing heart tissue. After echocardiograms were performed, researchers concluded that having the receptor in large quantities prevented disease in mice.

Mice are not the only small animals used in ultrasound tests. Scientists have begun to use hamsters more often in experiments because their heart conditions more closely duplicate those of humans. The test is also used in veterinarians' offices. For instance, an image can help veterinarians manage canine and feline heart diseases.

Echocardiographs should be carefully set to study small hearts. They should have less than 0.5 millimeters of spatial resolution. They should have a frame rate of 150 hertz and a sweep rate of 200-300 hertz.

Small animal research has provided much information about human disease. Echocardiograms for research in small animals, in particular, have allowed researchers to extrapolate information about heart disease. That information has then been applied to the human heart. Continuation of the research is a critical element in the fight to defeat cardiovascular disease.




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