Objectives: The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of age on myocardial function assessed by two-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiography (2D-STE) in healthy dogs.
Animals: Thirty-two healthy Beagles were used.
Methods: Myocardial function was assessed in each dog by using 2D-STE, and the results were compared between young and old dogs.
Results: The myocardial deformations in systole, besides the apical rotation rate, were not significantly different between young and old dogs. In contrast, the early diastolic circumferential strain rate, basal rotation rate, and torsion rate were significantly lower in old dogs than in young dogs (P = 0.03, P = 0.033, and P = 0.015, respectively). Late diastolic longitudinal and radial strain rates were significantly higher in old dogs than in young dogs (P = 0.002 and P = 0.018, respectively).
Conclusions: Young and old dogs showed similar systolic myocardial deformations, but significant differences in the values of some diastolic deformation variables were found between young and old dogs, highlighting the need for using age-matched control subjects in studies of diastolic function. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.