Cardiac MRI used to diagnose patent ductus arteriosus in three dogs

Abstract

Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) is the most common congenital cardiovascular disorder in dogs and requires an accurate diagnosis for an appropriate treatment. Cardiac MRI (cMRI) has been reported as a method for characterization of canine thoracic vasculature. However, to the authors' knowledge, no published studies describe evaluation of canine PDA through cMRI. Three dogs were selected for this exploratory study. Electrocardiogram gating and breath-hold techniques were performed using a 3T MR scanner. Both black blood imaging and bright blood cine acquisitions were performed. Quantification of stroke volume (SV) and shunting volume were calculated using a stack of short-axis cine images. Additional 4D (three-spatial dimensions plus time)-TRAK (time-resolved MR angiography with keyhole) sequences were conducted in patient 2 to verify other vasculature abnormality. Black blood images clearly depicted the course of the ductus from the descending aorta to the pulmonary artery in all three dogs. Morphological evaluation of PDA classified patients 1 and 2 as Type 2a and patient 3 as Type 1. Patient 2 was confirmed to have a concurrent persistent left cranial vena cava. Left ventricular SV, right ventricular SV, and left-to-right SV ratio were 12.4 ml, 3.36 ml, and 3.704, respectively, in patient 1; 6.85 ml, 1.22 ml, and 5.60 in the patient 2; and 3.67 ml, 2.14 ml, and 1.702 in patient 3. Findings indicated that cMRI is a feasible method for characterizing the morphology of PDA and extracardiac vasculature anomalies in dogs.