Fig 1.
Standard and modified apical 4-chamber views.
A) Standard apical 4-chamber view, optimized for the left atrium. B) Modified apical 4-chamber view to visualise the LAA and duct (*); the dotted line shows the measurement of the long axis C) Transducer position to obtain A. D) Transducer rotated counter-clockwise starting from C to obtain B. *: LA-LAA duct; LA: left atrium; LAA: left atrial appendage; LAAla: LAA long axis; LV: left ventricle; RA: right atrium; LV: left ventricle; RV: right ventricle.
Fig 2.
Color Doppler and anatomy of the three pulmonary veins.
A) Modified apical 4-chamber view to visualise the right superior PV. B) Color Doppler LA inflow from the right superior PV. C) Transducer rotated clockwise to visualise left PV. D) Color Doppler LA inflow from the left PV. E) Transducer rotated counter-clockwise to visualise right inferior PV. F) Color Doppler LA inflow from right inferior PV. *: PVs; LAA: left atrial appendage; RA: right atrium; RV: right ventricle.
Fig 3.
Left atrial 2D area, diameters and function curve.
A) LA area planimetry in maximum (A1), “notch” (A2) and minimum (A3) dimensions; apical 4-chamber view. White arrow: systolic displacement of the mid-point of the mitral annulus (LV base descent). B) LA function curve in normal mouse. LA: left atrial; LAmld: LA medio-lateral (transverse) diameter; LAmax: maximum LA area; LAmin: minimum LA area; LAnotch: intermediate LA area at « notch »; LAsid: LA supero-inferior (longitudinal) diameter; MA mitral annulus; +dA/dt: peak positive reservoir LA area change;-dA/dt: peak negative emptying LA area change.
Fig 4.
Left atrial appendage color and pulsed Doppler flow velocities.
Modified apical 4-chamber view. Color (A, B) and pulsed Doppler LAA flow velocity (C), and measurement of LA-LAA duct diameter. A) Diastolic frame. B) Systolic frame. Green line on the ECG shows a 50 ms duration. Dd: LA-LAA duct diameter; LA: left atrium; LAA: left atrial appendage; LAAf: LAA flow; LV: left ventricle; MVf: mitral valve flow; RA: right atrium; RV: right ventricle; S1: early systolic inflow wave; S2: late systolic inflow wave; D: diastolic outflow wave.
Fig 5.
Mitral valve and pulmonary vein flow velocities: color and pulsed Doppler.
A) Color Doppler flow velocity, standard 4-chamber view, diastolic frame. B) Pulsed Doppler MVf velocity profile. C) Pulsed Doppler PVf velocity profile. Green line on the ECG shows a 50 ms duration. A: MV wave; D: PV diastolic wave; LA: left atrium; LV: left ventricle; LVout left ventricle outflow; MVf: mitral valve flow; PVd right superior pulmonary vein diameter; PVf: right superior pulmonary venous flow; RA: right atrium; RV: right ventricle; S1: PVf early systolic wave; S2: PVf late systolic wave.
Table 1.
Left ventricle: volumes, anatomy and function.
Table 2.
Left atrium: volumes, anatomy and function.
Table 3.
Left atrial appendage: anatomy and pulsed Doppler flow profile.
Table 4.
Right superior pulmonary vein pulsed Doppler flow profile.
Table 5.
Multivariate and univariate linear regression analysis.
Fig 6.
Heart and left venous reservoir resin casts.
A) Whole heart, front view. B) As in A, after the removal of the main pulmonary artery and bifurcation. C) As in B, after the removal of the left venous reservoir (LA, LAA and PV). D) Isolated left venous reservoir, frontal-cranial view with LA (superior wall; the dotted line delimits the LA cavity), AO with coronary arteries and RIPV, RSPV and LPV. E) Isolated left venous reservoir, cranial view with LA (superior wall), RIPV, RSPV and LPV. F) Isolated left venous reservoir, inferior view from the right with LA (inferior wall), RIPV, RSPV and LPV, and MV connection to the LV. Shown needle gauge: 21. AO: aortic root; DU: LA-LAA duct; LA: left atrium; LAA: LA appendage; LPV: left PV; LV: left ventricle; MV: mitral valve; PA: pulmonary artery; PV: pulmonary veins; RIPV: right inferior PV; RSPV: right superior PV; RV: right ventricle.
Fig 7.
A) Representative cast of the C57/BL6 mouse venous reservoir in situ with lungs (showing the dominance of the right lung) and AO. B) PV vascular cast of C57/BL6 mouse showing the prevalence of right venous outflow (confluence in two PVs) over the left (one PV). CD-1 (C) and FVB (D) PV vascular cast. Shown needle gauge: 21. AO: aortic arch; PV: pulmonary veins; LA: left atrium; LAA: left atrial appendage.
Fig 8.
LA and LAA histology and cellular composition.
The LA and LAA bodies consisted of two thin layers of cardiomyocytes (A) crossing each other, and cardiac fibroblasts (C). Both structures exhibited a dense capillary network (D) and few α-smooth muscle actin positive cells (B). Graphs E and F illustrate cells percentage within LAA and LA. In G, murine heart coronal 4-chamber section. α -sarc: alpha-sarcomeric actin; α -sma: alpha-smooth muscle actin; AO: aorta; DU: LA-LAA duct; LA: left atrium; LAA: LA appendage; MV: mitral valve.
Table 6.
Selected echocardiographic indices in CD-1 mice.
Table 7.
Selected echocardiographic indices in FVB mice.
Fig 9.
Left atrium and appendage changes following myocardial infarction.
LA maximum area in normal (A) and 4-weeks ischemic mice (B). LAA long axis in normal (C) and ischemic mice (D). LA: left atrium; LAA: left atrial appendage; LAAla: LAA long axis; LV: left ventricle; RA: right atrium
Table 8.
Myocardial Infarction.
Table 9.
Intra- and Intra-observer and intersession variability.