Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Lung ultrasound B-lines in cats with normal lungs vs heart failure
By Lisciandro, Gregory R et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary emergency and critical care (San Antonio, Tex. : 2001)·2017·Hill Country Veterinary Specialists·View original on PubMed →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: Frequency and number of B-lines using a regionally based lung ultrasound examination in cats with radiographically normal lungs compared to cats with left-sided congestive heart failure.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of 49 cats with no breathing problems and normal lung X-rays were compared to 7 cats with left-sided congestive heart failure (CHF) to see how often a specific ultrasound finding called B-lines appeared. The healthy cats showed B-lines only 12% of the time, while all cats with CHF had many B-lines detected. This suggests that using lung ultrasound could help veterinarians identify respiratory issues in cats, especially those with heart problems.
People also search for: cat breathing problems · cat heart failure symptoms · lung ultrasound for cats
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To establish a baseline lung ultrasound (LUS) artifact profile using a regionally based protocol in cats without clinical signs of respiratory disease and with radiographically normal lungs compared to a cohort of cats with left-sided congestive heart failure (CHF). DESIGN: Prospective case series. ANIMALS: Forty-nine cats without clinical signs of respiratory disease and with radiographically normal lungs and 7 cats with radiographic evidence of left-sided CHF. INTERVENTIONS: Application of a previously published LUS protocol. Frequency of B-lines was compared based on signalment, body condition score, investigator, and reasons for radiography and between 49 cats with radiographically normal lungs to 7 cats with radiographic evidence of left-sided CHF. RESULTS: Overall frequency of B-lines was 12% (95% confidence interval, 5-24%) in cats without respiratory disease versus 100% (95% confidence interval, 65-100%) in those with left-sided CHF. Six cats (6/49) had B-lines with 5/6 having B-lines at a single site; and 4/5 having a single B-line at 1 site, 1/5 having 2 B-lines at 1 site; and the sixth cat having 2 positive sites with a single B-line at each. In the cohort of cats with left-sided CHF, all cats (7/7) had >3 B-lines detected at every site. CONCLUSIONS: The lack of B-lines in cats without respiratory disease (with radiographically normal lungs) and the predominance of B-lines in cats with left-sided CHF suggest that a regionally based LUS protocol may be clinically useful for the identification and evaluation of feline respiratory conditions.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28763158/