Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Radiographic heart size cutoffs for dogs with mitral valve disease
By Baisan, Radu Andrei & Vulpe, Vasile·Published in Veterinary radiology & ultrasound : the official journal of the American College of Veterinary Radiology and the International Veterinary Radiology Association·2024·Clinic Department·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Determination of radiographic vertebral heart score and vertebral left atrial size cutoffs based on echocardiographic left atrial size in dogs with myxomatous mitral valve disease.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs with myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD), a common heart condition, were studied to find out how to measure their left atrial size using X-rays. The researchers established specific cutoff values for two measurements (VHS and VLAS) that can help veterinarians assess the severity of left atrial enlargement seen in these dogs. This information can assist vets in making better clinical decisions when treating dogs with MMVD. The study included 103 dogs and found strong correlations between the echocardiographic measurements and the X-ray results, which could improve diagnosis and treatment planning.
People also search for: dog heart disease symptoms · myxomatous mitral valve disease treatment · left atrial enlargement in dogs
Abstract
Progression of myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD) in dogs is a common cause of left atrial enlargement. Recently, a classification of left atrial (LA) size based on echocardiographic measurement has been proposed. This study aims to determine the radiographic LA size by reporting the cutoff values of VHS and VLAS for different groups of echocardiographic-measured LA size in dogs with MMVD. This retrospective analytical cross-sectional study included dogs diagnosed with MMVD grouped based on the echocardiographic LA size into normal (LA/Ao < 1.6), mild (1.6-1.89), moderate (1.9-2.2), and severe enlargement (>2.2) and were compared with ACVIM classification. VHS and VLAS were measured on the right lateral radiograph for each dog and cutoff values were calculated. One hundred and three dogs with MMVD were included in the study. A very strong positive correlation was observed between LA/Ao ratio and VHS (r, 0.823, P < .01) or VLAS (r, 0.834, P < .01). For VHS, a cutoff of 10.7 v, 11 v, and 11.5 v were established for echocardiographic LA thresholds of 1.6, 1.9, and 2.2 with a sensitivity of 79%, 92%, and 90% and a specificity of 97%, 90.7%, and 78.1%, respectively. For VLAS, a cutoff of 2.5 v, 2.7 v, and 2.9 v were established for echocardiographic LA cutoffs of 1.6, 1.9, and 2.2 with a sensitivity of 73%, 80%, and 83.3% and a specificity of 94%, 92%, and 86.3%, respectively. The results of this study may facilitate clinical decisions based on radiographic examination in dogs with myxomatous mitral valve disease.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38148480/