Echocardiographic evaluation of cardiotoxicity in mice treated with doxorubicin, an anticancer drug - Utilization of echocardiography for Cardio-oncology -

Abstract

We investigated the usefulness of echocardiography for evaluation of cardiotoxicity due to anticancer drugs in rodents. Echocardiography was performed after 2-week treatment with doxorubicin, resulted in no change in left ventricular ejection fraction, but significant decreases in diastolic function and strain. These decreases tended to be consistent with subsequent mortality, suggesting that impaired diastolic function and strain might be potential prognostic factors. In the clinical settings, it is said that changes in strain precedes the decrease in left ventricular ejection fraction, and our results were in good agreement with this.