Comparison of open- and closed-chest canine model for quantification of coronary stenosis severity by myocardial contrast echocardiography.

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES

The objective of the present study was to compare the data regarding the ability of real-time myocardial contrast echocardiography (MCE) to assess altered myocardial blood flow produced by graded coronary stenoses between open- and closed-chest canine models.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Three grades of left anterior descending coronary artery stenosis and occlusion were created in 6 open- and 6 closed-chest canine models. MCE used FS-069 infusion and real-time imaging. Myocardial signal intensity versus time plots were fitted to a 1-exponential function to obtain the peak signal intensity (A) and rate of signal intensity rise (b) for quantification of myocardial blood flow.

RESULTS

The value of b obtained from closed-chest canine models (without stenosis = 0.995 +/- 0.087, mild stenosis = 0.968 +/- 0.076, moderate stenosis = 0.569 +/- 0.077, severe stenosis = 0.288 +/- 0.032, occlusion = 0.085 +/- 0.031) was not significantly different from that obtained from open-chest canine models (without stenosis = 1.028 +/- 0.107, mild stenosis = 0.998 +/- 0.098, moderate stenosis = 0.601 +/- 0.055, severe stenosis = 0.321 +/- 0.029, occlusion = 0.079 +/- 0.028) at any grade of stenosis (P = 0.09, 0.08, 0.44, 0.11, 0.74, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

In myocardial regions where attenuation of the ultrasound beam and artifacts produced by the chest wall are minimal, the data from transthoracic MCE in the closed-chest model may show values similar to those from MCE in the open-chest model.