Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Kitten diagnosed with rare congenital heart pouch in right atrium
By Pedro, B et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary cardiology : the official journal of the European Society of Veterinary Cardiology·2024·166 College Road, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Congenital right atrial diverticulum in a kitten.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A four-month-old domestic shorthair kitten was found to have a heart murmur during a routine check-up, but showed no other symptoms. Further tests, including an echocardiogram and CT scan, revealed a rare heart condition called a congenital right atrial diverticulum, which is an abnormal pouch in the heart. The kitten was treated with clopidogrel to help prevent blood clots, and it underwent successful castration surgery two months later. Unfortunately, the kitten passed away suddenly at home ten months after the diagnosis.
People also search for: kitten heart murmur · congenital heart defect in cats · clopidogrel for cats · sudden death in kittens
Abstract
A four-month-old domestic shorthair cat with no clinical signs was referred for further examination of a heart murmur. An echocardiogram revealed marked right atrial dilation, extending into the left hemithorax. Computed tomography angiography was conducted to investigate further, which revealed a balloon-shaped, contrast-filled cavity on the cranial and left side of the chest that connected to the right atrium through a narrow passage. This was diagnosed as a congenital right atrial diverticulum. Treatment included clopidogrel to reduce the risk of thrombus formation. Two months after the initial diagnosis, castration surgery was successfully performed without complications. The cat died suddenly at home 10 months after diagnosis. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first right atrial diverticulum reported in a cat.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38520764/