Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
X-ray signs of heart-related lung fluid in cats with left heart
By Diana, Alessia et al.·Published in Journal of feline medicine and surgery·2022·Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences, Italy·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Radiographic features of cardiogenic pulmonary oedema in cats with left-sided cardiac disease: 71 cases.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of 71 cats with breathing problems due to fluid in the lungs (cardiogenic pulmonary edema) was studied to understand the X-ray features related to heart disease. Most of these cats had left-sided heart disease, particularly hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) or restrictive cardiomyopathy (RCM). The X-rays showed signs like an enlarged heart and specific patterns of fluid in the lungs, but there were no significant differences between the two types of heart disease. Understanding these features can help veterinarians diagnose and treat affected cats more effectively.
People also search for: cat breathing problems · cat heart disease symptoms · cardiogenic pulmonary edema in cats · cat X-ray heart disease · treatment for cat heart disease
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: The aims of this study were to describe the radiographic features of cardiogenic pulmonary oedema (CPE) in a large group of cats with left-sided cardiac disease, and to determine the association between the radiographic features of CPE and the underlying cardiac disease. METHODS: Thoracic radiographs of cats with CPE and echocardiographic evidence of left-sided cardiac disease and left atrial enlargement (LAE) were reviewed, and cardiac silhouette, pulmonary vessels and pulmonary parenchyma evaluation were performed. Interstitial and/or alveolar patterns were classified according to their distribution (ie, diffuse, multifocal or focal) and location (ie, craniodorsal, cranioventral, caudodorsal, caudoventral and perihilar). A Student's-test and Mann-Whitney U-test, or the two-proportion z-test, were used to compare continuous or categorical variables, respectively, between cats affected by the two most represented cardiac diseases, namely hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) and restrictive cardiomyopathy (RCM). RESULTS: Seventy-one cats were included; among them, 46 (64.7%) and 13 (18.3%) had presented for HCM and RCM, respectively. Subjective and objective cardiomegaly, and subjective and objective LAE were detected in 97.2% and 91.9% of cats and in 80.3% and 40.6% of cats, respectively. Pulmonary artery abnormalities, in particular caudal pulmonary artery dilation, were found in 77.5% of cats. Pulmonary artery to pulmonary vein ratio = 1 was found in 71.8% and 55% cats on right lateral and ventrodorsal or dorsoventral views, respectively. Interstitial (57.8%) and mixed interstitial-alveolar (38%) pattern, multifocal (84.5%) and symmetrical (75%) distribution with prevalent ventrocaudal (65.6% of cats) and ventrocranial (60.9% of cats) locations were most frequently observed. No difference was found for any of these radiographic features between cats with HCM and RCM. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Moderate-to-severe cardiomegaly and LAE, caudal pulmonary artery and vein dilation, as well as a ventral, multifocal and symmetrical interstitial pulmonary pattern, were the main radiographic features of CPE in evaluated cats. Underlying cardiac disease did not influence the aforementioned radiographic features.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36350302/