Anatomical validation of two-dimensional echocardiography in the horse.

This study shows that two-dimensional echocardiography (2DE) is a reliable method for evaluating the heart structure of a horse, offering potential for its use in monitoring living horses.

Objective and Methodology

• The research aimed to validate horse cardiac anatomy as per images captured using 2DE and establish the accuracy of the intracardiac measurements this technique provides.
• Initially, five live horses were scanned using a Diasonics DRF100 ultrasound system with a 3.5 MHz transducer. Different tomographic planes of the horses’ hearts were imaged using 2DE.
• After these horses were euthanized, their hearts were preserved in a formalin solution. The preserved hearts were then suspended in a water tank, and 2DE imaging was performed again, maintaining the same transducer positions.
• The in-vitro 2DE and autopsy measurements of the same planes and parameters were also taken on an additional ten hearts. The results from these in-vivo and in-vitro examinations were compared statistically to determine 2DE’s accuracy.

Results and Findings

• The results showed that in-vivo 2DE images matched well with both in-vitro 2DE recordings and anatomical sections taken directly from the hearts.
• The study succeeded in obtaining repeatable imaging on post-mortem hearts, using intracardiac reference points.
• Statistical comparison of parameters measured during in-vitro 2DE and autopsy exhibited a compelling correlation between all 2DE and autopsy data (with a correlation co-efficient ranging from 0.879 to 0.926 and p-value less than 0.001 indicating statistical significance).
• When repeating 2DE measurements for each parameter, the research exhibited good reproducibility, with coefficients of variation (CV%) range of 4.6 to 10.6 per cent.

Conclusion

• Based on the significant correlation between 2DE and autopsy data, this study concludes that 2DE is indeed a reliable method for accurately determining the anatomy of a horse’s heart.
• 2DE offers potential application in the quantitative assessment and potential diagnosis of equine heart conditions in living horses.