Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Mitral valve ultrasound features in Cavalier King Charles Spaniels
By Mara Bagardi et al.·Published in Animals·2020·Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Milan, Via dell’Università n. 6, 26900 Lodi, Italy, CH·View original on DOAJ →
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Original publication title: Echocardiographic Evaluation of the Mitral Valve in Cavalier King Charles Spaniels
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of Cavalier King Charles Spaniels with a heart condition called mitral valve disease (MMVD) were evaluated using ultrasound to look at their heart valves. The study focused on dogs classified as ACVIM class B1, which means they had early signs of heart disease but no noticeable heart murmur. It was found that older dogs in this group had larger mitral valve measurements compared to younger ones, suggesting that age might affect how the disease progresses. The researchers recommend specialized heart screenings for these dogs, as many may not show typical symptoms like a heart murmur.
People also search for: Cavalier King Charles Spaniel heart murmur · mitral valve disease in dogs · heart screening for CKCS · symptoms of heart disease in dogs
Abstract
This prospective cross-sectional study aimed to: (1) characterize echocardiographic features of mitral valve in MMVD affected Cavalier King Charles Spaniels (CKCS), focusing on dogs classified as American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM) class B1; (2) compare echocardiographic data in ACVIM B1 dogs divided on the basis of age at time of MMVD diagnosis, in order to understand if different aged subjects had different echocardiographic patterns. Length (AMVL), width (AMVW) and area (AMVA) of the anterior mitral valve leaflet, mitral valve prolapse, diameters of the mitral valve annulus in diastole (MVAd) and systole (MVAs) of 90 CKCS in different ACVIM classes, 64 of which in class B1, were measured. Valvular measurements were indexed to body weight using Wesselowski’s scaling exponents. The presence of heart murmur did not discriminate between A and B1 classes (<i>p</i> = 0.128). Heart enlargement was more frequent in males (r<sup>2</sup> = 0.07, <i>p</i> = 0.013). Within class B1, older subjects showed significantly higher values of AMVA, AMVW, MVAd, MVAs and lower sphericity index (SI). Since many CKCS with MMVD have no murmur and their mitral valve has peculiarities, a specifically designed echocardiographic screening should be realized. In addition, different aged B1 dogs have different echocardiographic patterns that may imply different genetic and prognostic profiles.
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Search related cases →Original publication on DOAJ: https://doi.org/10.3390/ani10091454