From the Skirball Institute of Biomolecular Medicine (S.S., O.A., D.H.T.)
and the Departments of Pediatrics (S.S., M.A.), Radiology (D.H.T.), and
Pathology (D.H.T.), New York University Medical Center, New York, NY; the
Joseph Stokes Research Institute (H.S.B.), Children's Hospital of
Philadelphia, Pa; and Roche Research Center (L.K., M.L.), Hoffmann-LaRoche
Inc, Nutley, NJ.
Correspondence to D.H. Turnbull, Skirball Institute of Biomolecular Medicine, New York University Medical Center, 540 First Ave, New York, NY 10016. E-mail turnbull{at}saturn.med.nyu.edu
Background—The increasing number of
transgenic and targeted mutant mice with embryonic cardiac defects has
resulted in the need for noninvasive techniques to examine cardiac
structure and function in early mouse embryos. We report the first use
of a novel 40-MHz ultrasound imaging system in the study of mouse
cardiac development in utero.
Methods and Results—Transabdominal scans of mouse embryos staged
between 8.5 and 13.5 days of gestation (E8.5 to E13.5) were obtained in
anesthetized mice. Atrial and ventricular
contractions could be discerned from E9.5, and changes in cardiac
morphology were observed from E9.5 to E13.5. Hyperechoic streaming
patterns delineated flow through the umbilical, vitelline, and other
major blood vessels. Diastolic and systolic
ventricular areas were determined by planimetry of the
epicardial borders, and fractional area change was measured as an index
of contractile function. Significant increases in
ventricular size were documented at each stage between
E10.5 and E13.5, and the ability to perform serial imaging studies over
3 days of embryonic development is described. Finally, the detection of
vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (VCAM-1) homozygous null mutant
embryos demonstrates the first example of noninvasive, in utero
analysis of cardiac structure and function in a targeted mouse
mutant.
Conclusions—We used 40-MHz echocardiography
to identify key elements of the early mouse embryonic
cardiovascular system and for noninvasive dimensional
analysis of developing cardiac ventricles. The ability to
perform serial measurements and to detect mutant embryos with cardiac
defects highlights the usefulness of the technique for investigating
normal and abnormal cardiovascular development.
© 1998 American Heart Association, Inc.
Basic Science Reports
Noninvasive, In Utero Imaging of Mouse Embryonic Heart Development With 40-MHz Echocardiography
Key Words: ultrasonics • echocardiography • imaging • morphogenesis
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