Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Cat died from lung artery tear linked to heartworm infection
By Biasato, I et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary cardiology : the official journal of the European Society of Veterinary Cardiology·2017·Department of Veterinary Sciences, Italy·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Pulmonary artery dissection causing haemothorax in a cat: potential role of Dirofilaria immitis infection and literature review.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A 7-year-old male domestic short-haired cat suddenly died, and a veterinary examination found severe bleeding in the chest (haemothorax) along with adult heartworms in the blood clots. The investigation revealed damage to the blood vessels in the lungs, likely caused by the heartworm infection. This case highlights how heartworms can lead to serious complications like pulmonary artery dissection, which is when the artery walls tear. Unfortunately, despite the findings, the cat could not be saved.
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Abstract
A 7-year-old male castrated domestic short-haired cat suddenly died. Gross examination revealed severe right-sided haemothorax with blood clots, four adult filarial nematodes in the blood clots and the caudal vena cava and haemorrhage dissecting into the tunica media of the right pulmonary artery. Histopathological investigation showed fibrosis of the tunica intima and disorganization/fragmentation of the elastic fibres accompanied by fibrous tissue deposition in the tunica media of both branches of pulmonary artery. Degenerative vasculopathy (intimal fibromuscular hyperplasia and medial hypertrophy/hyperplasia) involving pulmonary arteries was also observed. The polymerase chain reaction amplification and sequencing confirmed the identification of the parasite as Dirofilaria immitis. A diagnosis of pulmonary artery dissection with haemothorax and concomitant heartworm disease was formulated. Degenerative processes of the tunica media have been reported to cause pulmonary artery dissection in both humans and animals. Pulmonary artery remodelling induced by heartworms may be considered the underlying cause in the first case of feline pulmonary artery dissection, herein described.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27780697/