Yonsei Med J.  2005 Feb;46(1):73-77. 10.3349/ymj.2005.46.1.73.

Serial Assessment of Myocardial Properties Using Cyclic Variation of Integrated Backscatter in an Adriamycin- Induced Cardiomyopathy Rat Model

• Ha JW
• Kang SM
• Pyun WB
• Lee JY
• Ahn MY
• Kang WC
• Jeon TJ
• Chung N
• Lee JD
• Cho SH

• KMID: 2158115
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3349/ymj.2005.46.1.73

Abstract

Although adriamycin (Doxorubicin) is one of the most effective and useful antineoplastic agents for the treatment of a variety of malignancies, its repeated administration can induce irreversible myocardial damage and resultant heart failure. Currently, no marker to detect early cardiac damage is available. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether an assessment of the acoustic properties of the myocardium could enable the earlier detection of myocardial damage after adriamycin chemotherapy. Forty Wistar rats were treated with adriamycin (2 mg/kg, i.v.) once a week for 2, 4, 6 or 8 weeks consecutively. Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was calculated using M-mode echocardiography data. The magnitude of cardiac cycle dependent variation of integrated backscatter (CVIB) of the myocardium was measured in the mid segment of the septum and in the posterior wall of the left ventricle, using a real time two dimensional integrated backscatter imaging system. LVEF was significantly lower in the adriamycin-treated 8-week group than in the controls (75 +/- 9 vs 57 +/- 8%, p < 0.05). Myocyte damage was only seen in the 8-week adriamycin-treated group. However, no significant changes of CVIB were observed between baseline or during follow-up in the ADR or control group. In conclusion, serial assessment of the acoustic properties of the myocardium may not be an optimal tool for the early detection of myocardial damage after doxorubicin chemotherapy in a rat model.

Keyword

Anthracycline; cardiotoxicity; echocardiography

MeSH Terms

Animals
Antibiotics, Antineoplastic/*toxicity
Cardiomyopathies/*chemically induced/*ultrasonography
Disease Models, Animal
Doxorubicin/*toxicity
*Echocardiography
Male
Rats
Rats, Wistar
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Figure

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  Fig. 1 Two-dimensional integrated backscatter image from parasternal short-axis view at the papillary muscle level and integrated backscatter measurements at the interventricular septum and posterior wall. An elliptical region of interest of 31 × 31 pixels was placed in the mid anterior septum (upper left) and the posterior wall (upper right) of the mid-LV. The largest region of interest was chosen to cover the myocardium whilst avoiding specular echoes from the endocardium or epicardium.

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  Fig. 2 Time-course left ventricular ejection fraction changes in the adriamycin and saline-treated control groups.

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  Fig. 3 Time-course of integrated backscatter cyclic variations of the integrated backscatter of interventricular septum in the adriamycin and the control groups.

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  Fig. 4 Time-course of integrated backscatter cyclic variations of the posterior wall in the adriamycin and the control groups.

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