Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Normal heart size on X-rays in healthy adult Chihuahuas
By Puccinelli, Caterina et al.·Published in Veterinary radiology & ultrasound : the official journal of the American College of Veterinary Radiology and the International Veterinary Radiology Association·2021·Department of Veterinary Sciences, Italy·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: A radiographic study of breed-specific vertebral heart score and vertebral left atrial size in Chihuahuas.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study looked at the heart size of healthy adult Chihuahuas using X-rays to help understand their heart health better. The researchers found that the vertebral heart score (VHS), which measures heart size, was higher in Chihuahuas than the general reference value for dogs, indicating that Chihuahuas may have naturally larger hearts. They also found that the size of the left atrium was smaller than previously reported for other breeds. These findings suggest that veterinarians should use breed-specific values when assessing heart size in Chihuahuas to avoid misdiagnosing heart problems.
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Abstract
Although echocardiography is the gold standard for the diagnosis of cardio-structural disease, thoracic radiography is a rapid, cost-effective, and widely accessible method for evaluating cardiac size in dogs. The vertebral heart score (VHS) and the vertebral left atrial size (VLAS) are established as objective measures of cardiomegaly on thoracic radiographs. However, several studies have shown significant variations in the VHS among different breeds. The Chihuahua is predisposed to both congenital and acquired cardiac diseases. The aim of this prospective, single-center, cross sectional study was thus to evaluate the VHS and the VLAS in healthy adult Chihuahua dogs. A total of 30 Chihuahuas were included. The VHS values in our sample population of Chihuahuas were 10.0 ± 0.6 (95% range, 8.9-11.0). This was significantly greater than the canine reference value of 9.7 ± 0.5 established by Buchanan and Bücheler (P = .002). The VLAS of Chihuahuas in our study was 1.8 ± 0.2 (95% range, 1.3-2.1). This was significantly lower than the values previously reported by Malcolm et al (2.07 ± 0.25; P = .0004). The VHS and the VLAS were not influenced by sex, body weight, short or long hair, and body condition score in normal Chihuahuas. Our results indicated that breed-specific reference values for radiographic VHS and VLAS are needed. In Chihuahuas, the values found in this study can be used as a normal reference in order to help avoid overinterpretation of cardiomegaly in these dogs.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33111364/