Serial echocardiographic assessment of left ventricular geometry and function after large myocardial infarction in the rat.

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.