Does a suitable animal model for research on partial left ventriculectomy exist? Animal models for PLV

Partial left ventriculectomy is a new surgical option quickly introduced in to clinical use worldwide for treating end-stage heart failure in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy. Due to the overwhelming success of this new ki nd of surgical treatment for dilated cardiomyopathy, experimental research on the physiological and pathophysiological basis was initially not perform ed. Now, demands for an appropriate animal model have arisen more and more since the outcome of patients treated by partial left ventriculectomy has d iffered considerably. This review summarizes available experimental models for heart failure in large animals, and discusses their suitability for res earch on partial left ventriculectomy.