Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Aortic valve changes in healthy and high blood pressure dogs
By Sangwan, Tanvika & Saini, Neetu·Published in Veterinary radiology & ultrasound : the official journal of the American College of Veterinary Radiology and the International Veterinary Radiology Association·2026·Department of Veterinary Medicine, India·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Echocardiographic Characterization of Aortic Valve Cusps: Baseline Reference Values in Healthy Dogs and Structural Remodeling in Systemic Hypertension.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs with high blood pressure (systemic hypertension) showed changes in their heart's aortic valve structure compared to healthy dogs. In this study, researchers measured the aortic valve cusps in 46 healthy dogs and 80 dogs with varying levels of hypertension. They found that the aortic valve cusps were larger in hypertensive dogs, and the size of these cusps increased with higher blood pressure. This information can help veterinarians identify and monitor heart changes in dogs with hypertension, using specific measurements of the aortic valve.
People also search for: dog high blood pressure symptoms · aortic valve changes in dogs · how to treat hypertension in dogs
Abstract
Systemic hypertension (SH) is increasingly recognized in dogs and is associated with aortic valve cusp remodeling. Therefore, the present study was planned with the objective of establishing baseline echocardiographic reference values for aortic cusp diameters in healthy dogs and to evaluate cusp remodeling associated with SH. Echocardiographic measurements were performed in 46 healthy dogs (26 large breed, 20 small-medium breed) and 80 clinically ill dogs, classified according to systolic blood pressure (BP) as normotensive (≤139 mmHg), prehypertensive (140-159 mmHg), hypertensive (160-179 mmHg), or severely hypertensive (≥180 mmHg), with 20 animals in each group. Two-dimensional echocardiography was used to assess left (LAC-d), right (RAC-d), and noncoronary cusp diameters (NCC-d); mean cusp diameter; and aortic root dimensions (diameters at aortic annulus, sinus of Valsalva, sino-tubular junction, and proximal ascending aorta). Cusp asymmetry was determined using an asymmetry index (≥10% variation) and subjective variation (≥2 mm). Hypertensive dogs demonstrated enlargement of all cusps compared with controls, with cusp diameters correlating positively with systolic BP (LAC-d: r = 0.39; RAC-d: r = 0.37; NCC-d: r = 0.33; p < 0.001). The LAC-d and RAC-d exhibited the best diagnostic performance (sensitivity 80%-82.5%, specificity 76.9%-78.6%). Hypertensive dogs also had increased cusp asymmetry, particularly RAC asymmetry in severe hypertension (40% vs. 10.9% in healthy dogs; p = 0.004). Sinus of Valsalva diameter was the strongest predictor of cusp enlargement. Echocardiographic measurement of aortic cusps provides novel reference values for healthy dogs and demonstrates hypertension-associated cusp remodeling. The LAC-d and RAC-d are reliable markers for identifying and monitoring hypertensive cardiac changes.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41964520/