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Diagnostic value of morphometry in feline hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
O Kershaw1, N Heblinski, F Lotz
1Department of Veterinary Pathology, Freie Universitaet Berlin, Robert-von-Ostertag-Strasse 15, Berlin 14163, Germany.
Insights
Diagnosing feline hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) in cats is challenging. This study found that relative heart weight and macroscopic measurements, not cell size, effectively distinguish HCM from normal feline hearts.
Area of Science:
- Veterinary Cardiology
- Feline Medicine
- Cardiac Pathophysiology
Background:
- Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is the predominant cardiac disease in domestic cats.
- Current diagnostic methods lack reliable morphometric reference data for anatomical or histological changes.
- Distinguishing feline HCM from normal hearts requires clear, objective criteria.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify diagnostically relevant morphometric criteria for differentiating feline HCM from normal hearts.
- To evaluate anatomical and histological measurements for their effectiveness in HCM diagnosis.
- To test the hypothesis that increased cardiomyocyte diameter is a primary feature of feline HCM.
Main Methods:
- Comparative analysis of heart weights and standardized cross-sectional areas between 15 cats with HCM and 15 controls.
- Digital scanning and morphometric analysis of macroscopic cardiac structures.
- Histological examination to assess cardiomyocyte diameter, nuclear size, branching, and fibrosis.
Main Results:
- Hearts from cats with HCM exhibited significantly increased relative weights compared to controls.
- Macroscopic measurements revealed significantly enlarged ventricular walls and septum in HCM hearts.
- Histological analyses showed no significant differences in cardiomyocyte size, nuclear dimensions, or fibrosis between groups.
Conclusions:
- Relative heart weight and macroscopic measurements are valuable for distinguishing feline HCM.
- Histological morphometry, including cardiomyocyte diameter, does not reliably differentiate feline HCM.
- The study refutes the hypothesis that increased cardiomyocyte diameter is a principal change in feline HCM.
Abstract:
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is the most common form of feline heart disease. To date, reliable morphometric reference data for anatomical or histological changes are unavailable. The aim of this study was to identify diagnostically relevant morphometric criteria that clearly distinguish feline HCM from normal hearts. Hearts from 15 cats with HCM had increased weights (g per distance between the first and eighth vertebral bodies) when compared with hearts from 15 matched control cats. Several anatomically defined and digitally scanned areas of standardized cross sections were significantly increased in HCM when compared with controls, including the area across the entire heart half-way between the coronary sulcus and apex, the right and left ventricular walls and the ventricular septum. Differences were similar when the papillary muscles were included in the measurements of the right and left ventricular walls and the ventricular septum. Histological morphometric analyses failed to identify any significant differences, including the diameter and cross-sectional area of cardiomyocytes and the length, width or areas of cross-sectioned nuclei. In addition, morphometric analyses failed to identify any differences in the amount of cardiomyocyte fibre branching or myocardial fibrosis. Thus, only the relative weight and macroscopical analyses proved useful in distinguishing feline hearts with HCM from normal hearts. The results do not uphold the hypothesis that increased cardiomyocyte diameter is a principal change in feline HCM.
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