Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Balloon angioplasty fixes lung artery narrowing in kitten
By Jeon, Sunghoon et al.·Published in The Journal of veterinary medical science·2025·College of Veterinary Medicine, South Korea·View original on PubMed →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: Successful balloon angioplasty of right pulmonary coarctation with left pulmonary artery interruption in a cat: a long-term outcome follow-up case report.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A 4-month-old British Shorthair kitten was brought in because of a heart murmur. Tests showed a narrowing in the right pulmonary artery, which was causing strain on the heart. The kitten underwent a procedure called balloon angioplasty to widen the artery, which successfully reduced the pressure and improved blood flow. Over a year later, while there were some changes in the kitten's lungs, it showed no symptoms and continued to thrive without any health issues at 33 months after the diagnosis.
People also search for: kitten heart murmur treatment · balloon angioplasty for cats · British Shorthair heart problems
Abstract
A 4-month-old, British Shorthair kitten was referred to our institute for evaluation of a heart murmur. Thoracic radiography and echocardiography revealed narrowing of the right pulmonary artery, accompanied by right atrial dilation and right ventricular hypertrophy. The systolic flow velocity across the stenotic lesion was 6.15 m/sec, with a pressure gradient of 151.42 mmHg. Computed tomography confirmed right pulmonary coarctation with concurrent interruption of the left pulmonary artery. Balloon angioplasty was performed, reducing the systolic flow velocity from 6.15 m/sec to 2.79 m/sec and relieving right ventricular pressure overload. One year later, thoracic radiography revealed left lung collapse and right lung hyperinflation; however, the patient remained asymptomatic. At 33 months post-diagnosis, the patient continued to thrive without any clinical signs.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40721374/