In vivo assessment of left ventricular remodelling after myocardial infarction by digital video contrast angiography in the rat

Objective: The aim was to develop a digital video contrast angiographic method for assessing global left ventricular function and volume in vivo in the rat and then to apply it to a study of ventricular remodelling after coronary occlusion, with and without reperfusion. Methods: Digital contrast angiography was performed on 29 rats, including the following groups: sham operated (n=11), non-transmural myocardial infarction produced by reperfusion (n = 8), and transmural infarction produced by permanent occlusion (n= 10). Under anaesthesia three weeks later, biplane fluoroscopic images were acquired following venous contrast injection. Levophase images were digitised, and left ventricular end diastolic and end systolic volumes and ejection fractions were obtained using an area-length method. Left ventricular ejection fraction data also were calculated by videodensitometry from video density curves. Results: Compared to the sham operated group, the reperfused group showed a significant decrease in left ventricular ejection fraction, at 53(SD 7) v 70(5)% (p