Primary pulmonary arterial hypertension: Protocol to assess comprehensively in the rat the response to pharmacologic treatments

Figures

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  Fig. 1. Two-dimensional (2D) and M-mode parasternal long-axis view showing in particular the increased end-diastolic thickness of the right ventricular free wall (RVThd) in a control (A), CTRL = 0.3 mm, and in a monocrotaline treated rat (B), MCT = 1 mm.

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  Fig. 2. Four-apical chamber view: The dotted line correspond to the right ventricle end-diastolic diameter (RVEDd) in a control (CTRL) (A) and a monocrotaline (MCT) treated rat (C). A yellow spline delineate the endocardial end-diastolic (A and C) and end-systolic (B and D) right ventricular borders for the calculation of the respective right ventricle areas (CTRL: RVAd = 0.31 cm2, RVAs = 0.07 cm2; MCT: RVAd = 0.62 cm2, RVAs = 0.39 cm2). The dotted white line indicate the right ventricle diastolic diameter (CTRL: RVD = 3 mm; MCT = 5 mm).

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  Fig. 3. The tricuspid annulus plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) in a control (A), CTRL = 4.5 mm, and in a monocrotaline treated rat (B), MCT = 1.3 mm, expression of an impaired right ventricular systolic function in the last.

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  Fig. 4. Pulmonary artery acceleration time in control (CTRL) (A). In normal conditions as in CTRL rats the pattern of systolic flow is symmetrical (PAAT = 37 ms); in case of a moderate and severe increase in RV systolic pressure as in monocrotaline (MCT) treated rats, the peak of the Doppler flow shifts toward the early systole resulting in a mid-systolic “notch” (arrow in B); a marked increase in RV systolic pressure is reflected by a reduction in echo signal with an asymmetric wave (PAAT = 18 ms).

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  Fig. 5. Left ventricular (LV) volumes, end-diastolic volume EDV (A), end-systolic volume ESV (B) and LV ejection fraction (EF) were calculated by the modified simple plane Simpson’s rule from the parasternal long-axis view.

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  Fig. 6. Right ventricle systolic pressure (RVSP) measured with a tip-transducer catheter (Millar) in a control (A), CTRL = 25 mmHg, and in a monocrotaline treated rat (B), MCT = 100 mmHg.

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  Fig. 7. Representative images of intra-acinar pulmonary arterioles, 15–60 μm in diameter, showing typical non-muscularized (N), partially muscularized (P) and muscularized (M) morphology (x200).

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  Fig. 8. Right ventricular histology in control (CTRL) rats and in rats with pulmonary artery hypertension two and five weeks after monocrotaline injection (MCT).