Normal Blood Flow in Rat Abdominal Aorta: An Ultrasound Study

Abstract

Background/Objectives: Ultrasound Doppler diagnostics is a modern diagnostic method, routinely used to determine the blood flow velocity in vessels in clinical practice and scientific experiments. The aim of this study was to investigate hemodynamics and identify blood flow velocity norms for various age groups of animals in the range of two to six months. Methods: This study presents the blood flow velocity characteristics in different areas of the abdominal aorta of 30 growing Wistar rats two to six months old. The data from senile rats aged 24 months were used as a reference, since these animals should not show any changes in hemodynamics associated with the active growth of the organism. Ultrasound screening in the group of growing rats was performed monthly, and blood flow velocity was measured at three points: proximal to the renal arteries, distal to the renal arteries, and before the bifurcation zone of the abdominal aorta. Conclusions: The obtained data can be used as normative values in in vivo small-diameter tissue-engineered vascular graft (TEVG) studies to assess changes in hemodynamics.

Keywords: Wistar rats; abdominal aorta; blood flow velocity; hemodynamics; ultrasound examination.

Figure 1

Ultrasonic images of the abdominal aorta of a Wistar rat. (A) An overall image, (B) proximal to the renal arteries, (C) distal to the renal arteries, and (D) before the bifurcation zone. Yellow arrows indicate aortic wall, and red arrows indicate the lumen of the vessel. The white frame encloses the blood flow visualization area (red shapes).

Figure 2

Visualization of age-related changes of blood flow parameters in growing and adult Wistar rats. Separate solid dots represent parameter values, obtained from two-year-old rats. Velocity values (cm/s) and heart rate values (bpm) are given as mean ± σ, cm/sec.