Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
New X-ray method to detect right heart enlargement in dogs
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·2024·Department of Veterinary Sciences, Italy·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: The vertebral right heart index: A new radiographic method to assess right heart enlargement in dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study looked at a new way to measure right heart enlargement (RHE) in dogs using X-rays. Researchers found that specific measurements, called the vertebral right heart index (VRHi), could help identify RHE more accurately compared to traditional methods. They tested 204 dogs, including 91 with RHE, and discovered that the VRHi measurements were significantly higher in dogs with heart enlargement. This new method could help veterinarians diagnose heart problems in dogs more effectively, leading to better treatment options.
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Abstract
In veterinary medicine, the radiographic assessment of right heart enlargement (RHE) is essentially subjective. The aim of this study was to evaluate the vertebral right heart index (VRHi) as a new quantitative radiographic method to detect RHE in dogs. This was a multicenter, retrospective, observational study, including dogs with RHE and control dogs. All dogs had to have a thoracic radiographic study and a complete echocardiography on the same day. Right heart enlargement was defined as the presence of right atrial enlargement, right ventricular enlargement, and/or hypertrophy based on echocardiography. For the radiographic study, all the radiographic views available for each case were considered for measurement: right lateral (RL), left lateral (LL), ventrodorsal (VD), and dorsoventral (DV). The VRHi was measured using LL, RL, VD, and DV views. A total of 204 dogs were included: 91 dogs with RHE and 113 control dogs. The VRHi (RL), the VRHi (LL), and the VRHi (VD) were significantly greater in dogs with RHE compared with controls (P < .0001). The best diagnostic accuracy was observed for VRHi (LL) (area under the curve [AUC] 0.86, P < .0001; cutoff ≥ 3.5 vertebrae, sensitivity [Se] 71%, specificity [Sp] 89%), followed by VRHi (RL) (AUC 0.85, P < .0001; cutoff ≥ 3.5 vertebrae, Se 68%, Sp 86%) and VRHi (VD) (AUC 0.80, P = .0004; cutoff ≥ 3.0 vertebrae, Se 57%, Sp 95%). In conclusion, the lateral VRHi in LL and RL and the VD VRHi could represent useful radiological tools for the detection of RHE in dogs.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39031718/