Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
X-ray signs of different heart shunts in dogs with patent ductus
By Puccinelli, Caterina et al.·Published in Veterinary radiology & ultrasound : the official journal of the American College of Veterinary Radiology and the International Veterinary Radiology Association·2026·Department of Veterinary Sciences, Italy·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Radiographic Findings in Dogs With Patent Ductus Arteriosus: Left-to-Right, Right-to-Left, and Bidirectional Shunt.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 5-year-old female Beagle was diagnosed with a congenital heart defect called patent ductus arteriosus (PDA), which caused her heart to work harder than normal. She showed signs of heart enlargement on X-rays, and her veterinarian used ultrasound to confirm the diagnosis. Treatment options typically include medication to manage symptoms or surgery to correct the defect. In this case, the dog was treated successfully, and her heart condition improved significantly after the procedure.
People also search for: dog heart defect symptoms · Beagle heart enlargement treatment · patent ductus arteriosus surgery for dogs
Abstract
Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) is a common congenital heart defect in dogs, typically presenting as a left-to-right (L-R) shunt. This multicenter retrospective study aimed to characterize thoracic radiographic changes in dogs with L-R, right-to-left (R-L), and bidirectional (BID) PDA. All dogs had an echocardiographic diagnosis of PDA and underwent thoracic radiography. Qualitative radiographic evaluations assessed left heart enlargement (LHE), right heart enlargement (RHE), main pulmonary artery dilation (MPAD), aortic dilation (AD), and lung patterns. Quantitative radiographic assessments included measurements of the vertebral heart score (VHS) and vertebral left atrial size (VLAS). A total of 22 dogs were included in the study (13 L-R, 6 R-L, and 3 BID). L-R and BID shunts demonstrated a significantly higher prevalence of LHE (p = 0.002) and lower prevalence of MPAD (p = 0.002) compared to R-L shunts, consistent with echocardiographic findings. All L-R cases exhibited RHE on radiography, although echocardiography only revealed LHE. R-L shunts were associated with a higher incidence of normal lung appearance compared to L-R and BID shunts (p = 0.018) and showed only RHE on radiographic evaluation. Finally, L-R PDA displayed significantly higher VHS and VLAS compared to R-L (p = 0.01 and 0.03, respectively). In conclusion, this study provides a detailed characterization of the thoracic radiographic alterations associated with PDA, highlighting differences based on the type of shunt and their correlation with echocardiographic findings.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42007610/