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Updated: Jan 18, 2026
Echocardiographic Assessment of Cardiac Anatomy and Function in Adult Rats
Published on: December 13, 2019
Reference Values and Association of Body Weight, Age, and Sex With Echocardiographic Measurements in Non-Athletic
Madeline E Selecky1, Elizabeth Williams Louie2, Callum Donnelly2
1Department of Medicine and Epidemiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California-Davis, Davis, California, USA.
Background:
Echocardiographic reference intervals for Quarter Horses are infrequently reported.
Objectives:
To provide standard echocardiographic measurements for sedentary Quarter Horses and evaluate the relationship between physical characteristics (body weight, age, sex) and echocardiographic measurements.
Animals:
Forty-one sedentary Quarter Horses, free of cardiac disease, from a university research herd.
Methods:
A cross-sectional study evaluating standardized echocardiograms performed on sedentary Quarter Horses (41) between 2020 and 2022. Reference intervals were calculated for raw and weight-corrected values. Multiple linear regression was performed to evaluate the relationship between the physical characteristics (body weight, age, sex) and echocardiographic variables.
Results:
Multiple linear regression showed that every 100 kg of body weight was associated with a 3 (95% CI 1-6) mm thicker left ventricular free wall in systole (p = 0.02), an 8 (95% CI 2-13) mm larger left atrial diameter (p < 0.01), and a 4 (95% CI 0-9) mm larger pulmonary artery diameter (p = 0.04). Every year in age was associated with a 0 (95% CI 0-1) mm larger left atrial diameter (p = 0.02), a 0 (95% CI 0-1) mm larger aortic diameter (p = 0.01), and a 0 (95% CI 0-1) mm larger pulmonary artery diameter (p = 0.01). Left atrial to left ventricular ratio was 1 (95% CI -1 to 0) mm smaller in geldings compared to mares (p = 0.03).
Conclusions And Clinical Importance:
This study provides echocardiographic reference intervals for a cohort of sedentary Quarter Horses and clarifies the association with body weight, age, and sex with these variables.
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