Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Accuracy of ultrasound lung pressure estimates in dogs with mitral
By Menciotti, G et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary cardiology : the official journal of the European Society of Veterinary Cardiology·2021·Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Accuracy of echocardiographically estimated pulmonary artery pressure in dogs with myxomatous mitral valve disease.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 20 dogs with myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD) were studied to see how accurately echocardiograms could estimate their pulmonary artery pressure. The dogs had heart changes and some had tricuspid regurgitation, which is a backflow of blood. The results showed that the echocardiogram estimates could be off by more than 20 mmHg compared to direct measurements taken from the heart, meaning the echocardiogram method isn't very reliable for these dogs. Pet owners should be cautious when interpreting these results and discuss any concerns with their veterinarian.
People also search for: dog heart disease treatment · myxomatous mitral valve disease in dogs · echocardiogram accuracy in dogs
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Echocardiographically identified pulmonary hypertension is an independent predictor of poor outcome in dogs affected by myxomatous valvular degeneration (MMVD). Systolic pulmonary arterial pressure is routinely estimated based on its relationship with the Doppler-determined velocity of tricuspid regurgitation as defined by the simplified Bernoulli equation (sPAP_D). Experimental studies suggest that the method is imperfect, but its accuracy in dogs with MMVD is not known. ANIMALS: Twenty dogs affected by MMVD that had cardiac remodeling and measurable tricuspid regurgitation. METHODS: A flow-directed thermodilution monitoring catheter was percutaneously placed in the right external jugular vein and advanced to the main pulmonary artery. Pulmonary arterial systolic pressure was recorded (systolic pulmonary arterial pressure obtained by right heart catheterization [sPAP_C]). A second operator contemporaneously acquired tricuspid regurgitant velocity spectra to calculate sPAP_D. Each operator was blinded to the result of the other techniques. RESULTS: Technical difficulties prevented the analysis of catheterization data in two dogs. Eighteen measurement pairs were therefore used for comparison of sPAP_C and sPAP_D through correlation and Bland-Altman analysis. A statistically significant bias between sPAP_C and sPAP_D (mean difference = 0.5 mmHg; confidence interval = -6.5 mmHg, +7.5 mmHg) was not detected. The interval of agreement between the techniques was wide (-27.3 mmHg, +28.2 mmHg). A significant linear association between the two techniques was not identified (r = 0.11, p=0.17). CONCLUSION: Echocardiographically estimated pulmonary artery pressure poorly agrees with sPAP_C measurement in dogs affected by MMVD and cardiac remodeling with or without previously diagnosed congestive heart failure. In these dogs, sPAP_D could under- or over-estimate sPAP_C by more than 20 mmHg, and therefore caution should be used when interpreting sPAP_D.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33895627/