Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Unusual right atrium heart defect in a miniature schnauzer
By Partington, C et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary cardiology : the official journal of the European Society of Veterinary Cardiology·2022·Department of Small Animal Clinical Science, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Cor triatriatum dexter of unusual morphology in a miniature schnauzer.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 5-year-old male miniature schnauzer was brought in for fluid buildup in his chest, which was causing breathing problems. Tests showed he had a rare heart condition called cor triatriatum dexter, where a membrane divided his right atrium into two chambers, affecting blood flow. The vet performed a procedure called balloon membranostomy to fix the pressure difference between the chambers, which helped resolve his symptoms. After three years, the dog is still doing well.
People also search for: miniature schnauzer breathing problems · cor triatriatum dexter treatment · pleural effusion in dogs
Abstract
A five-year-nine-month-old, male entire, miniature schnauzer presented for further investigation of pleural effusion. Echocardiography revealed a perforated membrane dividing the right atrium into two chambers: the true right atrium (a small, lower-pressure, cranioventral chamber communicating with the tricuspid valve and right ventricle) and the accessory right atrium (a larger, higher-pressure, caudodorsal chamber), consistent with a cor triatriatum dexter. This was confirmed using computed tomography angiography. Imaging studies revealed that both the cranial and caudal vena cava entered the higher-pressure accessory right atrium and the coronary sinus entered both the accessory and true right atrial chambers. This differed from the more usual canine cor triatriatum dexter presentation with the cranial vena cava entering the lower-pressure cranial chamber and the caudal vena cava entering the higher-pressure caudal chamber. Balloon membranostomy was successful in reducing the pressure gradient between the two right atrial chambers with subsequent resolution of the clinical signs. The patient continues to do well after three-years of follow-up.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35366638/