Study of Normal Cardiac Parameters by Echocardiography in Healthy Kordi Sheep

The objectives for this study are to report reliability, normal cardiac dimensions and time indices adult Kordi sheep. Twelve healthy adult Kordi sheep were recruited. Full echocardiographic examinations were performed in the standing unsedated animals. In such a way that Mitral, tricuspid, aortic and pulmonary flows were measured. Images were stored and measured offline. The difference between left and right side measurements and the intraobserver inter-day repeatability were tested and then the reference values of PW Doppler echocardiographic parameters in healthy adult female Kordi sheep were established. As documented in other species, all sheep PW Doppler parameters demonstrated a poor inter-day repeatability and a moderate variability. Tricuspid and pulmonary flows were best evaluated on the right side whereas mitral and aortic flows were best obtained on the left side and reference values are reported for healthy adult Kordi sheep. PW Doppler echocardiography allows the measurement of intracardiac blood flow indices in sheep. The reference values establishment will help interpreting these indices of cardiac function in clinical cardiac cases and developing animal models for human cardiology research.