Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
CT scans help check lung blood pressure in West Highland white
By Soliveres, Eugénie et al.·Published in Frontiers in veterinary science·2021·Department of Clinical Sciences·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Utility of Computed Tomographic Angiography for Pulmonary Hypertension Assessment in a Cohort of West Highland White Terriers With or Without Canine Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of West Highland White Terriers (WHWTs) with a lung condition called canine idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (CIPF) were evaluated for breathing problems related to pulmonary hypertension (PH). Researchers used a special imaging technique called computed tomography angiography (CTA) to measure the size of the pulmonary trunk, which is a blood vessel in the heart. They found that dogs with both CIPF and PH had a larger pulmonary trunk size compared to those without PH. The study suggests that measuring this size can help veterinarians diagnose PH in WHWTs with CIPF, which is important for managing their health.
People also search for: West Highland White Terrier breathing problems · pulmonary hypertension treatment in dogs · canine idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis symptoms
Abstract
West Highland white terriers (WHWTs) affected with canine idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (CIPF) are at risk of developing precapillary pulmonary hypertension (PH). In humans, thoracic computed tomography angiography (CTA) is commonly used to diagnose and monitor patients with lower airway diseases. In such patients, CTA helps to identify comorbidities, such as PH, that could negatively impact prognosis. Diameter of the pulmonary trunk (PT), pulmonary trunk-to-aorta ratio (PT/Ao), and right ventricle-to-left ventricle ratio (RV/LV) are CTA parameters commonly used to assess the presence of PH. Pulmonary vein-to-right pulmonary artery ratio (PV/PA) is a new echocardiographic parameter that can be used in dogs to diagnose PH. The primary aim of this study was to evaluate the use of various CTA parameters to diagnose PH. An additional aim was to evaluate the correlation of RV/LV measurements between different CTA planes. CTA and echocardiography were prospectively performed on a total of 47 WHWTs; 22 affected with CIPF and 25 presumed healthy control dogs. Dogs were considered to have PH if pulmonary vein-to-right pulmonary artery ratio (PV/PA) measured on 2D-mode echocardiography was less than to 0.7. WHWTs affected with CIPF had higher PT/Ao compared with control patients. In WHWTs affected with CIPF, PT size was larger in dogs with PH (15.4 mm) compared with dogs without PH (13 mm,= 0.003). A cutoff value of 13.8 mm predicted PH in WHWTs affected with CIPF with a sensitivity of 90% and a specificity of 87% (AUC = 0.93). High correlations were observed between the different CTA planes of RV/LV. Results suggest that diameter of the PT measured by CTA can be used to diagnose PH in WHWTs with CIPF.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34631858/