Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with mitral valve disease and suspected left atrial ruptures
By Romito, G et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary cardiology : the official journal of the European Society of Veterinary Cardiology·2022·Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences, Italy·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Suspected sequential left atrial ruptures in a dog with myxomatous mitral valve disease.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
An 11-year-old mixed breed dog was brought in because he was having trouble exercising and fainting. Tests showed he had a serious heart condition called myxomatous mitral valve disease, which caused his heart's left atrium to enlarge and led to fluid buildup around his heart. The vet started him on medications to help with the fluid and improve heart function. After a month, follow-up tests revealed more heart issues, likely due to further damage from the original condition. While the dog faced ongoing challenges, the treatment helped manage his symptoms.
People also search for: dog fainting exercise intolerance · myxomatous mitral valve disease treatment · heart problems in older dogs
Abstract
An 11-year-old mixed breed dog was presented with exercise intolerance and syncope. At admission, transthoracic echocardiography revealed myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD) associated with severe left atrial (LA) enlargement and moderate anechoic pericardial effusion with a hyperechoic density suggestive of a thrombus. Rupture of the LA free wall secondary to MMVD was suspected, and medical therapy with furosemide and pimobendan was initiated. After one month, recheck echocardiography showed mild anechoic pericardial effusion and an acquired atrial septal defect with a left-to-right intracardiac shunting flow. In light of the dog's history, the latter finding was suspected to be secondary to a further rupture of the LA wall due to MMVD, this time affecting the interatrial septum. The images described here allow us to suspect that sequential LA wall ruptures developed over time in the same subject affected by MMVD, a clinical presentation not previously described in veterinary medicine.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36252456/