Evaluation of left ventricular function with cardiac magnetic resonance imaging and echocardiography after administration of dobutamine and esmolol in healthy beagle dogs

Unlike echocardiography, cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (cardiac MRI) results in a near-exact assessment of cardiac structures and function. However, most veterinary studies have focused on dogs with normal cardiac function. We hypothesized that there would be significant differences in cardiac measurements between cardiac MRI and echocardiography when left ventricular (LV) function was abnormal. This study was undertaken to compare measurements of LV function produced by cardiac MRI and echocardiography in dogs whose LV function was altered by pharmacological agents. This study was conducted with six healthy beagle dogs. We increased left ventricular contractility by administration of dobutamine; we decreased cardiac contractility with esmolol. Stroke volume measurements were made by using both cardiac MRI and echocardiography under seven different conditions with general anesthesia: control, three doses of esmolol (100, 200, and 500 µg/kg/min), and three doses of dobutamine (10, 20, and 50 µg/kg/min). Experiments involving each condition were conducted at least 1 week apart. When LV contractility was normal, ejection fraction (EF) and stroke volume (SV), as measured by echocardiography and cardiac MRI, were not significantly different. However, when contractility was changed by pharmacological agents, EF and SV were overestimated by echocardiography, compared to MRI. Evaluation of cardiac function in patients treated with pharmacological agents should be conducted carefully because EF and SV measured by echocardiography can be overestimated, compared with EF and SV obtained by cardiac MRI.