Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

2 Department of Basic Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Semnan University, Semnan, Iran

3 Department of Radiology and Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

4 Diagnostic Imaging, Department of Companion Animals and Horses, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria

Abstract

Right ventricular structural and functional changes result from many cardiovascular disorders in cats. Accordingly, echocardiographic evaluation of the size and function of the right ventricle (RV) provides important prognostic information in many conditions affecting the right heart. Therefore, detection of these changes is clinically important and needs reference values to ease the diagnosis. The present study was designed to calculate structural and fanctional right ventricular variables in 10 apparently healthy cats (six males and four females, averege age 1 year old and body weight 2.70 - 4.80 kg) with no sedation. For this purpose, The minimum, maximum, mean ± standard error of the mean of right ventricle internal dimention in systole and diatole (cm), right ventricle free wall thickness in systole and diastole (cm), fractional shortening (%), right ventricle volume in systole and diastole (mL), right ventricle area in systole and diastole (cm2), ejection fraction (%) and fractional area change (%) were measured and reported. Descriptive statistics were provided for all calculated variables. Statistical correlation of the collected variables with body weight, gender and heart rate were analyzed. Results showed that there is a significant correlation between heart rate with body weight and between systolic and diastolic RV volumes with gender. The results of the present study would help clinicians in the diagnosis of the right heart changes in DSH cats.

Keywords

Main Subjects

  1. Haddad F, Hunt SA, Rosenthal DN, et al. Right ventricular function in cardiovascular disease, part I: Anatomy, physiology, aging, and functional assessment of the right ventricle. Circulation 2008; 117(11): 1436-1448.
  2. Ahmad A, Li H, Zhang Y, et al. Three-dimensional echocardiography assessment of right ventricular volumes and function: technological perspective and clinical application. Diagnostics (Basel) 2022; 12(4): 806. doi: 10.3390/diagnostics12040806.
  3. Visser LC, Sloan CQ, Stern JA. Echocardiographic assessment of right ventricular size and function in cats with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. J Vet Intern Med 2017; 31(3): 668-677. 
  4. Mattoon JS, Sellon RK, Berry CR. Small animal diagnostic ultrasound. 4th Missouri, USA: Saunders, Elsevier 2020; 251-297.
  5. Chetboul V, Bussadori C, De Madron E. Clinical echocardiography of the dog and cat. 1st Missouri, USA: Saunders, Elsevier 2015; 117-123.
  6. Häggström J, Andersson ÅO, Falk T, et al. Effect of body weight on echocardiographic measurements in 19,866 pure-bred cats with or without heart disease. J Vet Intern Med 2016; 30(5): 1601-1611.
  7. Karsten S, Stephanie S, Vedat Y. Reference intervals and allometric scaling of two-dimensional echocardio-graphic measurements in 150 healthy cats. J Vet Med Sci 2017; 79(11): 1764-1771.
  8. Jacobs G, Knight DH. M-mode echocardiographic measurements in nonanesthetized healthy cats: effects of body weight, heart rate, and other variables. Am J Vet Res 1985; 46(8): 1705-1711.
  9. Sisson DD, Knight DH, Helinski C, et al. Plasma taurine concentrations and M-mode echocardiographic measures in healthy cats and in cats with dilated cardiomyopathy. J Vet Intern Med 1991; 5(4): 232-238.
  10. Chetboul V, Concordet D, Pouchelon JL, et al. Effects of inter- and intra-observer variability on echocardiographic measurements in awake cats. J Vet Med A Physiol Pathol Clin Med 2003; 50(6): 326-331. 
  11. Litster AL, Buchanan JW. Radiographic and echocardiographic measurement of the heart in obese cats. Vet Radiol Ultrasound 2000; 41(4): 320-325.
  12. Chetboul V, Sampedrano CC, Tissier R, et al. Quantitative assessment of velocities of the annulus of the left atrioventricular valve and left ventricular free wall in healthy cats by use of two-dimensional color tissue Doppler imaging. Am J Vet Res 2006; 67(2): 250-258.
  13. Chetboul V, Petit A, Gouni V, et al. Prospective echocardiographic and tissue Doppler screening of a large Sphynx cat population: reference ranges, heart disease prevalence and genetic aspects. J Vet Cardiol 2012; 14(4): 497-509.
  14. Johns SM, Nelson OL, Gay JM. Left atrial function in cats with left-sided cardiac disease and pleural effusion or pulmonary edema. J Vet Intern Med 2012; 26(5): 1134-1139.