Left ventricular wall thickness in cats: agreement between echocardiographic views

Area of Science:

• Veterinary Cardiology
• Echocardiography
• Cardiac Imaging

Background:

• Assessing left ventricular wall thickness (LVWT) in cats involves various echocardiographic views.
• The interchangeability of LVWT measurements across these different views remains uncertain.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the agreement of LVWT measurements obtained from different echocardiographic views and techniques in feline subjects.
• To determine if various echocardiographic methods yield consistent LVWT data in cats.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study involving 408 cats with varying maximal LVWT (MaxLVWTd).
• Echocardiograms were analyzed by a single observer, measuring septal and free wall LVWT.
• Measurements were taken using 2-dimensional (2D) right parasternal long-axis (RPLA) 4- and 5-chamber views, 2D short-axis (RPSA), and M-mode RPSA views.
• Bland-Altman analysis was employed to assess agreement between different views.

Main Results:

• Septal and free wall thickness measurements were significantly greater using 2D RPLA compared to 2D RPSA.
• Wide limits of agreement and heteroscedasticity were observed between 2D RPLA and 2D RPSA measurements.
• Small biases were noted between 2D RPSA and M-mode RPSA, and between 4- and 5-chamber 2D RPLA views, but limits of agreement remained wide.

Conclusions:

• Left ventricular wall thickness measurements in cats differ significantly depending on the echocardiographic view and technique used.
• LVWT measurements from various echocardiographic views are not interchangeable.
• The findings highlight the need for standardized measurement protocols to enhance consistency in feline cardiac phenotyping.