Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How heart ultrasound scores relate to X-rays in dogs with mitral
By Lee, J et al.·Published in Polish journal of veterinary sciences·2025·Department of Veterinary Internal Medicine, South Korea·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 We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above.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: Correlation between the Mitral INsufficiency Echocardiographic score and radiographic variables in dogs with myxomatous mitral valve disease.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 132 dogs with myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD), a heart condition that can lead to heart failure, were studied to see how well certain X-ray measurements could predict the severity of their condition. The researchers found that specific measurements, like the size of the heart and left atrium on X-rays, correlated with a scoring system (MINE score) used to assess MMVD severity. This means that veterinarians can use X-rays to help determine how serious the heart problem is and guide treatment decisions. The study suggests that X-rays can be a helpful tool in managing dogs with this heart disease.
People also search for: dog heart disease symptoms · myxomatous mitral valve disease treatment · dog heart size X-ray interpretation
Abstract
Myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD) in dogs can progress gradually with left atrial enlargement. In veterinary medicine, several radiographic variables including the vertebral heart size (VHS), vertebral left atrial size (VLAS), modified VLAS (M-VLAS), and radiographic left atrial dimension (RLAD) are used to assess cardiac enlargement. The Mitral INsufficiency Echocardiographic (MINE) score, which provides an echocardiographic assessment of the severity of MMVD, has recently been used as a predictor of cardiac death. This study aimed to evaluate the correlation and cut-off values between the MINE score and radiographic variables. A total of 132 dogs with MMVD were recruited. The correlation between radiographic variables and the MINE score was assessed using Pearson's correlation analysis. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and the corresponding area under the curve (AUC) values and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were generated for radiographic variables using a MINE score over 8 (severe) as the classifiers. The MINE score showed a positive correlation with the VHS, VLAS, M-VLAS, and RLAD. For a cut-off MINE score ≥ 8 (severe), the radiographic variables could be ranked from highest to lowest AUC value as follows: VHS, VLAS, M-VLAS, and RLAD with cut-off values of 10.75, 2.75, 4.05, and 2.45, respectively. The results of this study highlight the potential of thoracic radiography as an alternative method for providing valuable prognostic insights in dogs with MMVD.
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/40996119/