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Left atrial size and volume in cats with primary cardiomyopathy with and without congestive heart failure

L Duler1, K F Scollan1, N L LeBlanc1

  • 1Department of Clinical Sciences, Carlson College of Veterinary Medicine, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, 97331, USA.

Journal of Veterinary Cardiology : the Official Journal of the European Society of Veterinary Cardiology
|August 14, 2019
PubMed

Insights

In cats with heart disease, minimal left atrial size measurements, not volumes, best distinguish cardiomyopathy from congestive heart failure. Minimal LA size may be a better prognostic indicator for CHF in cats.

Area of Science:

  • Veterinary Cardiology
  • Echocardiography
  • Feline Medicine

Background:

  • Myocardial diseases are common acquired cardiac conditions in cats.
  • These can lead to left atrial enlargement and congestive heart failure (CHF).
  • Left atrial chamber quantification is crucial for diagnosis and prognosis.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare two-dimensional linear measurements of left atrial (LA) size with two-dimensional LA volumes (LAV).
  • To evaluate the effectiveness of these measurements in differentiating cardiac conditions in cats.
  • To determine if LA volume calculations offer advantages over linear measurements in feline cardiology.

Main Methods:

  • A retrospective study of 162 client-owned cats.
  • Cats were categorized into healthy, cardiomyopathy (CM), or CHF groups.
  • Seven LA size measurements were performed, including LA-to-aortic ratio (LA:Ao) and LAV.

Main Results:

  • Minimal LA-to-aortic ratio (LA:Ao_min) and minimal LAV from the left apical view (LAV_min-LAP) best differentiated CM and CHF groups.
  • An LA:Ao_min of 1.64 demonstrated optimal sensitivity (84%) and specificity (75%) for distinguishing CM and CHF.
  • Minimal LA measurements showed a larger area under the curve compared to maximal values.

Conclusions:

  • Left atrial volumes were not superior to linear measurements for distinguishing CM and CHF in cats.
  • Minimal LA size and volumes performed better than maximal measurements.
  • Minimal LA size may serve as a superior prognostic factor for CHF in cats with CM.
Abstract

Keywords:
Chamber dimensionDiastolicEchocardiographyFeline

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