Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
New echocardiogram stages to classify aortic stenosis in dogs
By Davis, W et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary cardiology : the official journal of the European Society of Veterinary Cardiology·2025·Langford Vets Small Animal Referral Hospital, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Echocardiographic classification of dogs with aortic stenosis: potential utility of a novel staging system.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 87 dogs with aortic stenosis (a heart condition that narrows the aorta) were evaluated to see if a new staging system could help classify the severity of their condition. The dogs were divided into three stages based on their symptoms and echocardiogram results. Those in the most severe Stage 2+ were more likely to show clinical signs, such as difficulty breathing or lethargy, and had higher pressure gradients in their hearts compared to those in the earlier stages. This new classification method may provide more insight into the condition than just measuring pressure alone, but further research is needed to confirm its benefits.
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Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Severity of aortic stenosis (AS) in humans is classified using a staging system based on two-dimensional echocardiographic changes, which considers the extent of global cardiac damage. Currently, classification of canine AS is based on trans-aortic pressure gradient (PG) alone. This study aimed to retrospectively classify dogs with AS based on an adapted human staging system, exploring feasibility of classification and the association between stage and features such as PG and clinical signs. ANIMALS: This study included 87 client-owned dogs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Clinical and echocardiographic data were retrieved from computerised records. Dogs were classified according to a modified human staging system (Stages: 0/1/2+). Descriptive statistics were explored. Differences in signalment, PG, and clinical signs between stages were evaluated using appropriate statistical tests. Significance was identified if P<0.05 after correction for multiple comparisons. RESULTS: Forty-one dogs were classified as Stage 0, 36 as Stage 1, and 10 as Stage 2+. No difference in signalment or weight was identified between stages. Dogs classified as Stage 2+ were more likely to have clinical signs than those in Stages 0 or 1 (50% vs. 7% [P=0.004] and 17% [P=0.043], respectively) and had a higher PG than dogs in Stage 0 (90 mmHg [35-143 mmHg] vs. 25 mmHg [18-182 mmHg], P=0.001). CONCLUSIONS: This study presents an alternative way to classify dogs with AS. Data support further study of the staging system to compare whether or not this classification has additional value over assessment of PG alone.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39752973/