Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Measuring mitral valve leak severity in dogs using Doppler ultrasound
By Di Marcello, M et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2014·Centro Medico Veterinario Cellatica, Italy·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Assessment of mitral regurgitation severity by Doppler color flow mapping of the vena contracta in dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study looked at how to measure the severity of mitral regurgitation (a heart valve problem) in dogs by using a method called vena contracta width (VCW). Researchers assessed 279 dogs with varying levels of this condition and found that the VCW measurements correlated well with the severity of the disease. The results showed that dogs with mild-to-moderate mitral regurgitation had a median VCW of 2.9 mm, while those with moderate-to-severe cases had a median VCW of 4.6 mm. This method could help veterinarians better understand how severe the heart issue is, aiding in treatment decisions.
People also search for: dog heart murmur symptoms · mitral regurgitation in dogs treatment · how to measure dog heart problems
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Quantitative and semiquantitative methods have been proposed for the assessment of MR severity, and though all are associated with limitations. Measurement of vena contracta width (VCW) has been used in clinical practice. OBJECTIVE: To measure the VCW in dogs with different levels of MR severity. ANIMALS: Two hundred and seventy-nine dogs were classified according to 5 levels of MR severity. METHODS: This was a retrospective study. EROA and regurgitant volume calculated by the PISA method, were measured and indexed to BSA. Descriptive statistics were calculated for VCW and VCW index for all categories of MR severity. Spearman's rank correlation coefficients (ρs ) were calculated to compare the results of the different methods (VCW and VCW index vs RV PISA, RV PISA index, EROA, EROA index), and between VCW and VCW index versus MR severity. RESULTS: All Spearman's rank correlation coefficients were significant (P < .001). The median values of VCW resulted of 2.9 mm (IQR 3.4-2.5) and of 4.6 mm (IQR 5.4-4.1) in the groups previously classified as mild-to-moderate and moderate-to-severe, respectively. The median values of VCW index resulted of 4.4 mm/m(2) (IQR = 5.5-4.2) in mild-to-moderate MR and of 10.8 mm/m(2) (IQR = 12.8-9.4) in moderate-to-severe MR. CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: This is not a validation study against any previously validated invasive gold standard, the VCW method has proved easy to employ and it might be an additional tool in quantifying disease severity that supports, rather than replace, data coming from other techniques in daily clinical practice and research.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24934609/