Age, sex and body weight related echocardiographic parameters of clinically healthy New Zealand white rabbits

ABSTRACT

Background: Echocardiography provides useful additional information on cardiac dimensions including heart wall anddimension of the ventricles, atria and conditions. Rabbits have been diagnosed with cardiac diseases, and an understandingof the animals’ cardiac chamber dimensions is vital in assessing the diseases’ severity and prognoses. Changes in cardiacdimensions due to age related and body weight were determined at different animals. The increased incidence of congenitalcardiovascular anomalies makes it essential to establish the diagnosis at an early age. The aims of this study 1) establishnormal values for the commonly used two-dimensional (2D) M-mode parameters using pre anaesthetics and 2) evaluatethe effects of age, sex, and body weight on echocardiographic parameters in clinically healthy New Zealand rabbits.Materials, Methods & Results: In this study we used 49 New Zealand white rabbits (25 male, 24 female) all reared under the same conditions. A general physical and clinical examination including complete blood count was performed foreach animal. Body surface area was calculated as BSA= 0.00718 × Height 0.725 × Weight 0.425. Rabbits were sedated withmidazolam before echocardiographic examination was performed. Echocardiographic examination was performed using aDC 6-Vet® (Mindray, PRC) ultrasonographic device equipped with a micro-convex 8 MHz probe. Right parasternal shortaxis view, B-mode and two-dimensional guided M-mode parameters were measured. Echocardiographic measurementswere performed using leading-edge-to-leading-edge conventions outlined by the American Society of Echocardiography.Statistical analyses were employed using the SPSS 19.0 program. Sex had no significant effect on the measured echocardiographic parameters except in the case of interventricular septum thickness in diastole values of the three-month-oldrabbits. The increase in the left ventricular systolic and diastolic diameters...