Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with rare aorta to right atrium heart tunnel seen on scans
By Geunha Kim et al.·Published in Frontiers in Veterinary Science·2023·Department of Veterinary Medical Imaging, College of Veterinary Medicine, Jeonbuk National University, Iksan-si, Republic of Korea, CH·View original on DOAJ →
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Original publication title: Case report: Imaging features of aorta-right atrial tunnel in a dog using two-dimensional echocardiography and computed tomography
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 7-year-old male Pomeranian was brought to the vet because a continuous heart murmur was detected, but he showed no other symptoms. X-rays showed an enlarged heart, and further tests, including echocardiography and CT scans, revealed a rare condition called an aorta-right atrial tunnel, where a blood vessel connects the aorta to the heart's right atrium. After a year of monitoring without treatment, the dog had only mild changes in heart function. This case highlights the importance of investigating heart murmurs in dogs, as they can indicate underlying issues.
People also search for: dog heart murmur causes · Pomeranian heart problems · aorta-right atrial tunnel in dogs
Abstract
A 7-year-old castrated male Pomeranian dog weighing 5 kg presented with a right-sided continuous murmur without any clinical signs. Thoracic radiographs indicated cardiomegaly and right atrial (RA) bulging. Echocardiography revealed a tunnel originating from the right coronary sinus of Valsalva and terminating in the RA. Contrast echocardiography revealed pulmonary arteriovenous anastomoses. Computed tomography (CT) demonstrated a tortuous shunting vessel that originated from the aorta extending in a ventral direction, ran along the right ventricular wall, and was inserted into the RA. Based on these diagnostic findings, the dog was diagnosed with the aorta-RA tunnel. At the 1-year follow-up visit without treatment, the dog showed no significant change except for mild left ventricular volume overload and mildly decreased contractility. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case report of an aorta-RA tunnel that has been described in detail using echocardiography and CT in a dog. In conclusion, the aorta-RA tunnel should be included in the clinical differential diagnoses if a right-sided continuous murmur is heard or shunt flow originating from the aortic root is identified.
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Search related cases →Original publication on DOAJ: https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2023.1160390