Canine dirofilariasis is currently uncommon in Germany, but its prevalence appears to be increasing due to rehoming of dogs from endemic areas. As part of staging of the disease, this case series describes clinical, radiological and echocardiographic findings in 37 dogs tested positive for Dirofilaria immitis between October 2016 and January 2019. Clinical history revealed 12 (32 %) asymptomatic and 22 (59 %) symptomatic dogs, with most of the dogs showing exercise intolerance, coughing or breathlessness.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Left atrial (LA) enlargement, congestive heart failure (CHF), and aortic thromboembolism (ATE) are associated with decreased survival in cats with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), but the prognostic value of echocardiographic variables has not been well characterized.
Hypothesis/objectives: We hypothesized that LA echocardiographic variables and assessment of left ventricular (LV) diastolic and systolic function would have prognostic value in cats with HCM.
Animals: Two hundred eighty-two cats diagnosed with HCM.
Background: Left atrial (LA) enlargement (LAE) is a morphologic expression of the severity and chronicity of left ventricular (LV) diastolic dysfunction, volume overload, and increased atrial pressure and has diagnostic, therapeutic, and prognostic importance in cats. The noninvasive gold standard for assessing LA size is 2-dimensional echocardiography (2DE).
Hypothesis: ECG and thoracic radiography may be used to predict LAE in cats.
The hypotheses of this prospective study were that (1) left atrial appendage (LAA) blood flow velocities can be recorded in cats with myocardial disease by transthoracic Doppler echocardiography, (2) LA enlargement, LA mechanical dysfunction, and left ventricular (LV) diastolic abnormalities are associated with decreased LAA flow velocities, and (3) low LAA flow velocities predict the appearance of spontaneous echocardiographic contrast in cats with cardiomyopathy. Transthoracic 2-dimensional, M-mode, and Doppler echocardiographic studies were performed in 89 cats with hypertrophic, restrictive, dilated, or unclassified cardiomyopathy or with hyperthyroid heart disease. Maximal LAA flow velocity (LAAmax) was decreased (P < .
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: The use of transthoracic Doppler echocardiography (TTDE) to evaluate the patterns and technique of measuring of left atrial appendage (LAA) flow velocities in normal cats.
Background: Left atrial enlargement and dysfunction are characteristic features of feline cardiomyopathy that may cause blood stasis in the left atrium (LA). This low flow state may be associated with hypercoagulability and thrombus formation.