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Echocardiographic assessment of cardiac function in the rabbit: a preliminary study
R Tello de Meneses1, M D Mesa, V Gonzalez
1Becaria de Investigación del Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Cádiz, Spain.
Abstract:
A technique for obtaining M-mode echocardiograms in sedated adult rabbits of both sexes, New Zealand and California breeds, is described. Despite the fact that with rabbits there are certain technical difficulties in obtaining the M-mode echocardiograms, our preliminary results indicate that the following measurements could be the most useful and accurate: 1) left ventricular systolic time intervals; 2) right ventricular systolic time intervals; 3) right ventricular end-diastolic dimension; 4) left atrial internal dimension; 5) left ventricular end-diastolic and end-systolic dimensions; 6) systolic slope of the interventricular septum; 7) mid-diastolic partial closure of the mitral valve (EF slope); and 8) systolic slope of the posterior aortic wall.