Monitoring left ventricular function in small animals.

Small animals such as mice and rats are extensively used to investigate the mechanisms and treatment of human cardiac diseases in vivo. The monitoring of left ventricular function is a key factor in this research. The measurement should be rapid, reproducible, and repeatable and allow the detection of subtle differences in function. Currently, echocardiography is most widely used in cardiac research laboratories for measuring left ventricular dimensions and function in small animals. Although the technique is rapid, the reproducibility of the calculations of left ventricular volumes is limited in some circumstances as a result of assumptions that do not necessarily hold true, such as in the setting of dilated, failing ventricles.