Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Pulmonary vein to artery ratio helps diagnose heartworm lung pressure
By Jorge Isidoro Matos et al.·Published in Animals·2023·Internal Medicine, Veterinary Medicine and Therapeutic Research Group, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Research Institute of Biomedical and Health Sciences (IUIBS), Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC), 35016 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain, CH·View original on DOAJ →
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Original publication title: Echocardiographic Assessment of the Pulmonary Vein to Pulmonary Artery Ratio in Canine Heartworm Disease
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs with heartworm disease was studied to see how well a specific echocardiogram measurement, called the pulmonary vein to pulmonary artery ratio (PV:PA ratio), could help diagnose serious lung pressure issues. The researchers found that this ratio was a strong indicator of pulmonary hypertension (high blood pressure in the lungs) in these dogs. Using this measurement, veterinarians can better identify dogs with moderate to severe pulmonary hypertension, which can be a serious complication of heartworm disease. This could lead to more effective treatment options for affected dogs.
People also search for: dog heartworm disease symptoms · pulmonary hypertension in dogs · heartworm treatment for dogs
Abstract
<b>Background:</b><i>Dirofilaria immitis</i> produces proliferative pulmonary endarteritis and pulmonary thromboembolism in infected dogs. The pulmonary vascular lesions lead to irreversible and persistent structural damage and, as a consequence, sustained precapillary pulmonary hypertension (PH). The purpose of this study was to assess the diagnostic value of the pulmonary vein to pulmonary artery ratio (PV:PA ratio) to determine moderate or severe PH (>50 mmHg) in dogs with heartworm disease. Methods: A total of 151 naturally heartworm-infected and 66 healthy dogs were included in the study. The presence/absence of PH was based on the right pulmonary artery distensibility index (RPAD index < 29.5%), and the PV:PA ratio was echocardiographically measured by the time–motion mode (M mode) and two-dimensional mode (2D mode). Other echocardiographic parameters were also assessed (pulmonary trunk to aorta ratio, tricuspid regurgitation pressure gradient, and AT:ET ratio). Results: The results of the PV:PA ratio showed a highly positive correlation between the M and 2D modes (r = 0.928). The PV:PA ratio obtained by the M mode was identified as the strongest predictor for RPAD index (R<sup>2</sup> 0.628, <i>p</i> < 0.0001) with a good diagnostic accuracy (AUC = 0.99). The results of PV/PA by the 2D mode showed a similar prediction for the RPAD index (R<sup>2</sup> 0.606, <i>p</i> < 0.0001) with a good diagnostic accuracy (AUC = 0.98). Both of the 2D and M modes’ PV:PA ratios decreased significantly with the presence of PH. A cut-off value of ≤0.845 showed high sensitivity and specificity for the M mode (97% and 94%, respectively) and the 2D mode (96% and 93%, respectively). Conclusions: The PV:PA ratio may be useful as a complementary diagnostic method for the estimation of moderate or severe PH in dogs with heartworm.
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Search related cases →Original publication on DOAJ: https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13040703