Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Right auricle aneurysm in dogs seen on CT scans and varies in shape
By Costa, Arianna et al.·Published in Veterinary radiology & ultrasound : the official journal of the American College of Veterinary Radiology and the International Veterinary Radiology Association·2023·San Marco Veterinary Clinic and Laboratory, Italy·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Right auricle aneurysm in dogs can be detected with multidetector-row CT and presents with varying morphology.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study found that a rare condition called right auricle aneurysm (RAA) was detected in 23 out of 10,886 dogs who had a CT scan for other reasons. This condition can appear in different shapes and sizes, and interestingly, many dogs with RAA showed no symptoms at all. The dogs with RAA were generally smaller and more likely to be female compared to those without the condition. While RAA is uncommon, it can be identified through a CT scan, which is helpful for veterinarians in diagnosing heart issues.
People also search for: dog heart problems CT scan · right auricle aneurysm in dogs · symptoms of heart issues in small dogs · female dog heart conditions
Abstract
Right auricle aneurysm (RAA) has been reported to be a rare congenital or acquired condition in dogs, however published CT characteristics are limited to a small number of cases. The aim of this 13-year, single-center, retrospective, cross-sectional study was to describe the prevalence and appearance of RAA in a larger group of dogs. Reports of 10,886 dogs that underwent thoracic CT examination for various reasons were reviewed. Computed tomographic data of dogs with presumed RAA (based on published imaging characteristics) were retrieved from the archive. Oblique multiplanar reformatted images were used to record RAA site, shape, and dimensions (neck, maximum height and width). Patients' sex, age, and body weight were evaluated for any association with the presence of RAA. Presumed RAA was detected in 23/10,886 dogs having thoracic CT in the selected period of time (prevalence 0.21%). Three RAA phenotypes were described: diffuse saccular dilation in 19 of 23 dogs, focal saccular dilation in three of 23 dogs, and fusiform in one of 23 dogs. The bodyweights of dogs with presumed RAA were significantly lower than those of the remaining 10836 dogs without RAA (median 8 kg [IQR 5; range 37.6] and median 16 kg [IQR 23; range 116.9] respectively; P < 0.003. Female sex was also significantly associated with RAA (P = 0.03). Findings indicated that RAA has a low prevalence in dogs, can be detected with CT, can be present in asymptomatic dogs, and can have varying appearances. In this sample of dogs, female sex and low body weight were significantly associated with RAA.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35839346/