Cardiac Function in an Experimental Model of the Metabolic Syndrome through Pressure Conductance Analysis & Cine MRI

Wouter Oosterlinck¹, Tom Dresselaers², Vincent Geldhof¹, Uwe Himmelreich², Paul Herijgers¹

The prevalence and consequences of diabetes mellitus type 2 and the metabolic syndrome contribute to the increasing morbidity and mortality from ischemic heart disease. Experimental animal models allow us to evaluate disease progression and new treatment options. We used cardiac cine MRI (cMRI) and left ventricular (LV) pressure conductance (PC) analysis to study cardiac function in an experimental model of the metabolic syndrome (DKO mice [1], both leptine and LDL receptor deficient, leading to obesity, diabetes mellitus type 2 and dyslipidemia). The aims of our study were: (1) to compare PC and MRI volumetric information and (2) to determine which contractility parameters were altered in the DKO mice at 24 weeks.