Hypertrophic osteopathy in a cat with cardiac interventricular septal defect
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Published on: October 20, 2023
Felipe Auatt Batista de Sousa1, Matheus Viezzer Bianchi2, Paula Augusto Taunde2
1Setor de Patologia Veterinária, Departamento de Patologia Clínica Veterinária, Faculdade de Veterinária (FAVET), Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, RS 91540-000, Brazil. felipeauatt@gmail.com.
Insights
This study reports the first feline case of hypertrophic osteopathy, a bone disease, linked to a congenital heart defect (ventricular septal defect). The condition caused limb thickening and bone changes in a cat.
Area of Science:
- Veterinary Cardiology
- Veterinary Pathology
- Comparative Pathology
Background:
- Ventricular septal defect (VSD) is a congenital heart malformation.
- Hypertrophic osteopathy (HO) is a rare condition causing bone thickening, typically associated with thoracic or abdominal diseases.
- The association between cardiac malformations and HO in felines is not previously documented.
Abstract:
A 3-year-old mixed-breed female cat was diagnosed with a ventricular septal defect of the heart through an echocardiogram. After a 9-month treatment, progressive and diffuse hard thickening of all limbs was observed, which on radiographic examinations, revealed a marked thickening of the long bones. The necropsy findings were limited to the appendicular skeleton and thoracic vertebrae, in addition to a severe cardiac interventricular septal defect and lung edema. The histological evaluation revealed severe replacement of the cortical bone by spongy bone in all bone fragments examined. This is the first report of hypertrophic osteopathy occurring in association with a cardiac malformation in a cat.
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