Agitated saline contrast echocardiography to diagnose a congenital heart defect in a dog

Examination of cardiac structure and function is greatly facilitated by echocardiography, which takes advantage of the natural ultrasonic contrast between myocardial tissue and the blood-filled chambers. In cases where further contrast is desired, peripheral injections of agitated saline, which contain highly reflective gas-filled microbubbles can reveal subtle morphologic lesions as well as characterizing the pattern and timing of blood flow through suspected cardiac shunts or lesions. Agitated saline contrast echocardiography is easily performed and well-tolerated and in this report, we demonstrate the utility of this method to diagnose a rare congenital defect in a dog.