Comparative evaluation of left atrial size in healthy cats measured by two-dimensional echocardiography and cardiovascular MRI.

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to assess left atrial (LA) size in healthy cats using cardiovascular MRI (cMRI) and to compare this with LA size assessed by two-dimensional echocardiography. The hypothesis was that cMRI would accurately determine LA size in domestic cats. METHODS: A prospective comparative study was performed. Six healthy cats were selected for the study. Standard two-dimensional echocardiography was performed with and without general anaesthesia. cMRI was conducted under general anaesthesia. A comprehensive analysis of LA mass and function measurements was performed to determine the consistency and correlation of LA size and function indicators between two-dimensional echocardiography and cMRI. RESULTS: Our study found that intraobserver variability for cMRI measurements was lower than that for two-dimensional echocardiography. Compared with cMRI, echocardiography under anaesthesia significantly overestimated maximal LA volume (LAVmax_2D, P <0.01) and significantly underestimated minimal LA volume (LAVmin_2D,<0.01). The LAVmin measured by two-dimensional echocardiography exhibited the highest consistency (intraclass correlation coefficient&#x2009;=&#x2009;0.857) and correlation (&#x2009;=&#x2009;0.75,<0.01) with LAVmin measured by cMRI. The linear regression equation was LAVmin_ cMRI&#x2009;=&#x2009;0.891&#x2009;&#xd7;&#x2009;LAVmin_2D&#x2009;+&#x2009;0.304. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: cMRI represents a reproducible method for assessing LA mass in domestic cats. This study underscored the importance of echocardiography in veterinary cardiology, and the LAVmin measured by two-dimensional echocardiography may reflect the true LAVmin.