✓Perform transthoracic echocardiography imaging on anesthetized mice
✓Measure cardiac systolic function using ultrasound imaging
✓Assess cardiac diastolic function and blood flow with Doppler
✓Interpret representative echocardiography results for cardiac phenotyping
Protocol
Transthoracic echocardiography offers a noninvasive method for the evaluation of cardiac function in mice. A combination of ultrasound and Doppler imaging modalities can be used to obtain dimensional measurements of the heart and intracardiac blood flow, which together provide an assessment of cardiac systolic and diastolic performance.
Difficulty
intermediate
Total time
~20–30 min/mouse (includes anesthesia, hair removal, imaging, and recovery)
Model organism
Mouse
Steps
1
Prepare mice for noninvasive cardiac imaging
Anesthetize mice and prepare the thoracic region for ultrasound contact. Ensure proper positioning and fur removal to enable acoustic coupling.
▶ 01:26
2
Evaluate systolic cardiac function measurements
Obtain M-mode and two-dimensional ultrasound images to measure ventricular dimensions and wall thickness. Calculate ejection fraction and fractional shortening to assess systolic performance.
▶ 02:28
3
Assess diastolic function and intracardiac blood flow
Use pulsed-wave Doppler to measure mitral valve inflow velocities and assess diastolic filling patterns. Evaluate left ventricular outflow to characterize diastolic performance.
▶ 03:55
4
Interpret representative echocardiography results
Review sample cardiac images, measurements, and Doppler waveforms. Demonstrate how data integrates to provide comprehensive cardiac phenotyping.
▶ 05:37
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