Can postinfarction LV remodeling in rats be tracked longitudinally with transthoracic echocardiography?
Transthoracic echocardiography is a viable method for longitudinally tracking postinfarction left ventricular remodeling in rat models.
Postinfarction LV remodeling in the rat is characterized by progressive cavity dilatation, inadequate hypertrophy of the surviving myocardium, the gradual development of regional contractile dysfunction in noninfarcted segments, and marked abnormalities of diastolic filling. These changes can be tracked longitudinally with transthoracic echocardiography.
Litwin et al. (1994) studied this question.