Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
CT scans can find heart artery problems in Bulldogs with valve
By Gunther-Harrington, Catherine T et al.·Published in Veterinary radiology & ultrasound : the official journal of the American College of Veterinary Radiology and the International Veterinary Radiology Association·2019·Department of Medicine and Epidemiology, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Non-electrocardiographic-gated computed tomographic angiography can be used to diagnose coronary artery anomalies in Bulldogs with pulmonary valve stenosis.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of Bulldogs with pulmonary valve stenosis (a heart condition) underwent a special type of CT scan to check for coronary artery problems before a balloon procedure to help their hearts. The scans were successful in all dogs, revealing that six had coronary anomalies, which meant they couldn't safely have the procedure. However, four dogs had normal coronary arteries and were able to undergo the balloon valvuloplasty without any issues. This method of using non-electrocardiographic-gated CT angiography is a safe way to identify potential heart issues in Bulldogs before treatment.
People also search for: Bulldog heart problems · pulmonary valve stenosis treatment · CT scan for dog heart issues · balloon valvuloplasty in Bulldogs
Abstract
Coronary artery anomalies have been reported in Bulldogs and present an increased risk when performing balloon valvuloplasty. Identification of coronary anomalies has been reported using multidetector-row computed tomographic (MDCT) angiography with electrocardiographic gating. However, the utility of non-electrocardiographic-gated 16-row computed tomographic for MDCT for the identification of coronary artery anatomy or anomalies to the authors' knowledge has not been fully investigated. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of non-electrocardiographic-gated computed tomographic (CT) angiography to identify coronary anomalies in Bulldogs with pulmonary valve stenosis. In this prospective, observational study, Bulldogs with echocardiographically diagnosed pulmonary valve stenosis, an echocardiographically derived transpulmonic pressure gradient >70 mm Hg, and a clinician recommendation for balloon valvuloplasty were included. Anesthetized dogs underwent a 16-row MDCT non-electrocardiographic-gated CT angiography. A board-certified veterinary radiologist and board-certified veterinary cardiologist reviewed the CT angiography studies and identified the coronary artery anatomy. When normal coronary artery anatomy was detected on CT angiography, a right ventricular outflow tract fluoroscopic angiogram was performed and evaluated during levophase to confirm normal coronary anatomy prior to balloon valvuloplasty. Dogs with coronary anomalies noted on CT angiography were recovered from anesthesia and balloon valvuloplasty was not performed. All dogs (10/10; 100%) had interpretable images from the non-electrocardiographic-gated CT angiography. Coronary anomalies were identified in six dogs based on non-electrocardiographic-gated CT angiography, five with type R2A anomaly and one had a single left coronary ostium. Four dogs had normal coronary anatomy based on non-electrocardiographic-gated CT angiography. Balloon valvuloplasty was performed without incident in these four dogs. We conclude that non-electrocardiographic-gated CT angiography represents a noninvasive method for diagnosing coronary anomalies in Bulldogs with pulmonary valve stenosis.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30318654/