Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with rare heart vein draining into left atrium and exercise issues
By Dennler, Matthias et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary cardiology : the official journal of the European Society of Veterinary Cardiology·2019·Clinic of Diagnostic Imaging·View original on PubMed →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: Case report - azygos vein drainage into the left atrium in a dog with cor triatriatum dexter and a patent foramen ovale.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 2-year-old Airedale terrier was brought in because he had trouble exercising since he was a puppy and developed fluid in his chest. Tests showed that he had an unusual connection between a vein and his heart, along with a membrane in his heart that was causing issues. A procedure to widen the membrane helped him feel a bit better for a short time, but after three months, the fluid problem returned, and sadly, the dog was euthanized. An examination after his passing confirmed the heart issues.
People also search for: dog exercise intolerance · Airedale terrier heart problems · chylous pleural effusion in dogs
Abstract
A 2-year-old Airedale terrier was presented with exercise intolerance since birth and newly developed chylous pleural effusion. Imaging procedures including echocardiography, cardiac magnetic resonance imaging, computed tomography, and selective angiography revealed an aberrant connection of the azygos vein and the left atrium, a membrane in the right atrium consistent with cor triatriatum dexter, and a patent foramen ovale with right-to-left shunt. Balloon dilation of the membrane in the right atrium seemed to result in transient improvement of exercise tolerance compared with the previous 2 years. When chylothorax relapsed after three months, the dog was euthanized. Necropsy confirmed the azygos vein to left atrial connection, the patent foramen ovale, and the cor triatriatum dexter.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31747625/