Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Lung ultrasound in small dogs with heart and lung disease
By Lam, Man-Cham et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2022·National Taiwan University Veterinary Hospital·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 We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above.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: Influence of concurrent lower respiratory tract disease on point-of-care lung ultrasound in small-breed dogs with myxomatous mitral valve disease.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of small-breed dogs with preclinical myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD) were studied to see how often they also had lower respiratory tract disease (LRTD) and how this affected lung ultrasound results. It was found that about 75% of these dogs had LRTD, which led to a higher chance of misdiagnosing them with fluid in the lungs (cardiogenic pulmonary edema) based on ultrasound findings. The presence of other lung issues, like thickened pleura, increased the likelihood of false-positive results. This means that vets should be cautious when interpreting lung ultrasounds in dogs with MMVD, especially if they also show signs of respiratory problems.
People also search for: small dog heart disease symptoms · myxomatous mitral valve disease in dogs · lung ultrasound results in dogs · dog breathing problems treatment · lower respiratory tract disease in small dogs
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Small-breed dogs commonly have concurrent myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD) and lower respiratory tract disease (LRTD). HYPOTHESIS: Small-breed dogs with preclinical MMVD and concurrent LRTD have more B-lines on point-of-care lung ultrasound (POC-LUS) compared to dogs without concurrent LRTD and are prone to misdiagnose as cardiogenic pulmonary edema (CPE). ANIMALS: A total of 114 small-breed dogs with preclinical MMVD. METHODS: A prospective study was conducted, in which POC-LUS was obtained and the number of B-lines was calculated by a single clinician using the Veterinary Bedside Lung Ultrasound Examination protocol. The presence/absence of LRTD was assessed by clinicians blinded to the POC-LUS results. RESULTS: Fifty and 64 dogs were in ACVIM stage B1 and B2, respectively. The presence of LRTD was prevalent in 74.6% (85/114) of small-breed dogs with preclinical MMVD. When a previously reported criterion for CPE diagnosis (≥2 sites with >3 B-lines/site) was applied, false-positive results were observed in 15.8% (18/114) of dogs with preclinical MMVD. The summated number of B-lines (3 vs. 1, P = .003), as well as the false-positive rate (20% vs 3%, P = .04), were significantly higher in dogs with LRTD compared with dogs without LRTD. Multivariable logistic regression showed the presence of abnormalities other than B-line on POC-LUS (eg, thickened pleura or consolidation) could predict false-positive results (odds ratio = 3.75, 95% confidence intervals 1.12-12.54; P = .03) after adjustment for other clinical and echocardiographic factors. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Concurrent LRTD and abnormalities other than B-lines should be considered in the interpretation of POC-LUS in MMVD dogs.
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/35475522/