Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Heart ultrasound shows aortic valve cyst in older dog
By Badric, I et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary cardiology : the official journal of the European Society of Veterinary Cardiology·2025·Department for Small Animals·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Echocardiographic findings of a valvular aortic cyst in a dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 12-year-old female Nova Scotia Duck Tolling retriever was taken to the vet because of a heart murmur, but she showed no other symptoms. An ultrasound of her heart revealed a fluid-filled cyst attached to her aortic valve, along with some mild heart enlargement and a moderate leak in the valve. After eight months, a follow-up ultrasound showed no changes in the cyst, and the dog continued to be asymptomatic. This condition is rare in dogs, and the dog did not require any treatment since she was not showing any signs of illness.
People also search for: dog heart murmur causes · Nova Scotia Duck Tolling heart problems · aortic valve cyst in dogs
Abstract
A 12-year-old, 19.8-kg, female neutered Nova Scotia Duck Tolling retriever was referred for investigation of a heart murmur. The dog was asymptomatic at the time of examination. On cardiac auscultation, a soft (2/6) diastolic heart murmur, louder at the left cardiac base, was present. Two-dimensional transthoracic echocardiography revealed a cyst-like structure attached to the aortic valve leaflets. Doppler examination showed that the cyst was fluid-filled and connected to the aortic and ventricular lumen. A moderate aortic valve insufficiency was also present. The left heart was mildly dilated. An echocardiography was repeated eight months later, and no relevant progression of the lesion was noted. The dog remained asymptomatic. An aortic cyst is an unusual congenital or acquired condition described in humans, but never reported previously in a dog.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40627984/