Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Transesophageal heart ultrasound probes compared in small dogs under
By Stoner, C H & Saunders, A B·Published in Journal of veterinary cardiology : the official journal of the European Society of Veterinary Cardiology·2023·Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Evaluation of two probes for transesophageal echocardiography in small dogs: imaging capabilities, image quality, and usability.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A small dog weighing just 2.4 kg was evaluated for congenital heart disease using two different probes for a specialized heart imaging technique called transesophageal echocardiography (TEE). The 10T-D microprobe was easier to place and provided better quality images of the heart condition compared to the ICE probe, which was often difficult to position and produced lower quality images. Most dogs in the study had a condition called patent ductus arteriosus, which is a heart defect. Overall, the microprobe was more effective for imaging in small dogs, although it had some limitations.
People also search for: small dog heart disease treatment · congenital heart disease in dogs · transesophageal echocardiography for dogs
Abstract
INTRODUCTIONS: Patient size is a limiting factor for transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) in small dogs. The objective of this study was to describe imaging capabilities of two probes for TEE in small dogs. ANIMALS, MATERIALS, AND METHODS: Prospective study in 10 client-owned dogs weighing <4 kg with congenital heart disease (CHD). Dogs had TEE performed with a microprobe (10T-D, GE Medical) and intracardiac echocardiography (ICE) catheter-based probe (AcuNav™, Biosense Webster) in the esophagus in alternating order. Ease of placement, ability to acquire images of the CHD, image quality, and probe limitations were recorded. RESULTS: Median weight was 2.4 kg (range, 1.0-3.2). Congenital abnormalities included patent ductus arteriosus (n = 9) and pulmonary valve stenosis (n = 1). The 10T-D microprobe was easy to place (n = 8) or achievable with gentle manipulation (n = 2), and image quality of the CHD was optimal (n = 8), adequate (n = 1), or poor (n = 1). The ICE probe was difficult to place in the esophagus even with an external support system (n = 9) or could not be placed (n = 1), and image quality of the CHD was optimal (n = 2), adequate (n = 3), or poor (n = 5). Both probes provided images in a 1.0-kg dog. Probe limitations included lack of lateral motion (microprobe), the need for an external support system (ICE probe) and inability to consistently maintain contact with the esophagus (ICE probe). CONCLUSION: The 10T-D microprobe provided high-quality TEE images more consistently than the ICE probe in the majority of dogs in this study; however, the lack of lateral motion can diminish its utility in some dogs.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36696791/