Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Sudden death in Shih Tzu from coronary artery fibromuscular dysplasia
By Mete, A & McDonough, S P·Published in Journal of comparative pathology·2011·University of California, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Epicardial coronary artery fibromuscular dysplasia, myocardial infarction and sudden death in a dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 4-year-old male Shih Tzu suddenly died after showing slight lethargy for two days. A thorough examination of his heart revealed severe narrowing of the coronary arteries, which caused damage to the heart muscle. This condition, known as fibromuscular dysplasia, led to a heart attack and ultimately cardiac failure. Unfortunately, despite the findings, there was no treatment that could save him, as the condition was severe and resulted in sudden death.
People also search for: dog sudden death causes · Shih Tzu heart problems · dog lethargy and heart attack
Abstract
A 4-year-old male Shih Tzu died suddenly with the only history being slight lethargy during the previous 2 days. Gross and histopathological examination of the heart revealed severe segmental stenosis of the epicardial coronary artery branches and extensive areas of acute myocardial necrosis interspersed with areas of fibrosis. The segmental coronary artery stenosis was due to smooth muscle and myofibroblast proliferation in the tunica media. The smooth muscle cells and myofibroblasts disrupted the internal elastic lamina and extended into the tunica intima. Thickening of the intima and media was accompanied by fibrosis, consistent with fibromuscular dysplasia. The resulting stenosis led to myocardial infarction and cardiac insufficiency. This report details for the first time the vascular lesions in a case of sudden cardiac death in a dog afflicted with fibromuscular dysplasia of the coronary arteries.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20538284/