Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Changes in mitral valve motion over time in cats with heart thickening
By Seo, Joonbum et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2024·School of Veterinary Science·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Longitudinal assessment of systolic anterior motion of the mitral valve in cats with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of 60 cats with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), a heart condition, were monitored over a median of 2.1 years to see if they would lose a specific heart function called systolic anterior motion (SAM) of the mitral valve. Out of the 38 cats that initially had SAM, 7 lost it, while 5 gained it back. Those with SAM showed more signs of heart disease progression, including larger heart chambers. Some cats with SAM developed congestive heart failure, but no new heart failure cases were found in those without SAM. Regular check-ups are important for monitoring heart health in cats with HCM.
People also search for: cat heart disease symptoms · hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in cats · cat congestive heart failure treatment
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The proportion of cats with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) that lose systolic anterior motion of the mitral valve (SAM) in the long term is unknown. HYPOTHESIS/OBJECTIVES: Cats with HCM will lose SAM in the long term. Loss of SAM will be associated with greater age, longer scan-interval, and altered left ventricular (LV) dimensions. ANIMALS: Sixty unsedated cats with HCM, not receiving beta blockers or pimobendan. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study from 2 referral centers. Cats were eligible if they had been diagnosed with HCM and had a repeat echocardiogram ≥1 year later. Clinical and echocardiographic data of the left heart variables were collected. RESULTS: Thirty-eight cats had SAM at the initial scan. After a median follow-up time of 2.1 years (range: 1.0-5.9), 7 cats had lost SAM (18%) and 5 cats (23%) gained SAM. On follow-up, cats with SAM at the initial scan had a larger left atrium (P = .037), lower left atrial fractional shortening (P = .014), greater LV internal diameter in end-systole (P = .002), and lower LV fractional shortening (P < .001). Four cats with SAM developed congestive heart failure. There were no new cases of congestive heart failure or change in left heart variables in cats without SAM at the initial scan. The gain or loss of SAM was not associated with age or time between scans. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Similar proportions of cats gained or lost SAM. Cats with SAM at baseline had more evidence of disease progression than cats without SAM.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39325030/