Myocardial capillary diffusion capacity in rat hearts with cardiac hypertrophy due to pressure and volume overload

A study involved the measurement of the operational myocardial capillary diffusion capacity in relation to the permeability surface area product (PS) for Cr-EDTA and vitamin-B12 in isolated beating Langendorff-perfused rat hearts, after previous exposure to long-standing pressure and volume overload. The overload causes a cardiac hypertrophy that was formed to almost the same extent in both experimental settings. Contrary to previous morphometric estimations in pressure overload hypertrophy, myocardial capillary diffusion capacity was well maintained. In volume overloaded cardiac hypertroply, the myocardial capillary diffusion capacity was well maintained.